Alice The Human Sacrifice
by Cherry-Chan98
Summary: Based mainly on the Vocaloid song Alice Human Sacrifice, it focuses on the story of Len and Rin, 2 kids who wander around a strange new land and have no memory of what happened before. In that place they meet a "Voice" and a variety of other unusual characters as they explore the curiousities of Wonderland.
1. The Twins Enter

'Once there was a small dream.

No one really knew who had dreamt it. Such a tiny dream it was.

The little dream thought,

"I don't want to disappear like this. How can I make people dream me?"

For a while, the dream pondered on this issue until it finally reached a solution.

"I will make humans dream me, and they shall create my world."'

XXX

"No!" The young woman screamed. Her blood-red eyes, distorted with rage. "I am 'Alice'! I am the 'Alice' of this world!" She screeched. The last anyone saw of her, was a pale hand marked with a red spade, reaching out desperately for salvation.

XXX

"I am 'Alice' of this world" The man laughed maniacally. Eyes crossed, gun to his head. A blue diamond marked his hand. Red blood then stained aqua hair.

XXX

"No… No!" Emerald eyes flashed in fear as she held a shaking hand to her face… "I am queen. 'Alice' of this world." She muttered to herself, long, green hair flayed messily. A beautiful yet contorted face looked up. A green clover marked her trembling hand.

XXX

"We've been on this boat for a while now…" A young boy sat looking up to the sky, half of a golden heart sat upon his left hand.

"And? Is there anything else we can do?" His elder twin replied. She also had half of a golden heart, but this time it sat upon her right hand. She was gently rowing across the lake, while her brother dangled his legs in the water.

"Rin..." His sister grunted in acknowledgement. "Why don't we explore?" Rin's head jerked up.

"Len…" She looked at her brother with a mischievous grin. "Yes, let's explore!" She jumped up with a huge grin.

"Rin!" Len called in distress as the boat swayed. "Don't stand up on boats like this! It'll capsize!"

"Ah…" Rin sat back down and pulled the oars in so they wouldn't get lost while she neglected them. "Sorry!" She giggled.

"Look, now you're bow's messed up…" Len commented. He crawled over to straighten out the large white bow which sat upon his sister's short blonde hair. She may be the older twin, but Len was the smarter of the two, and always took care of his stubborn sister. Rin sat quietly, with her head bowed, as he fixed her bow. As soon as Len's hands drew away, her head bounced up. She smiled warmly.

"Thank you." She smiled. Len, smiling back, drew away again and looked around. Their surroundings contained the silver river they rode on, a forest on both sides, a small yellow boat with brown oars, a misty light from behind and a blinding sun up in front. The sky was a clear blue, and the warmth of the sun made it a beautiful day.

"I wonder where we are…" Len muttered to himself. They had been floating across the river for a while, and nothing had really changed. They had come through a small door, but before that they had no memory.

"Well wherever it is, I'm starting to get bored." Rin grumped. Len sighed. "And…" Rin spoke quietly, almost to herself. Len looked up in curiosity. "Where were we before this…?" She wondered. Len's eyes widened and soft tears quietly streamed down Rin's lost face.

"Rin…" Len frowned in concern as he called his sister's name, a single, unknown tear slid down his face.

"Ah!" Rin looked up in surprise, suddenly brought back to reality. "Hehe… I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me…" She giggled, wiping the tears away with her arm, leaving wet marks on her black sleeve. Len wiped his tear away, coughed then straightened his tie. Following his lead, Rin also coughed, and straightened the bow she wore loosely around her neck.

"Why don't we park the boat on the shore and explore?" Len asked trying to bring back their recently lost positivity. Rin nodded, a small smile forcing her to go back to being happy.

They pulled the boat up high onto the shore so it would not be swept away, then started to wonder around the glistening forest. Soon they found a small red door and the curious children stepped inside. There wasn't much difference between the forest they had come from and the one they were now in, except that it was not glistening in the light, and the path was not as neat and clear as before.

Len walked slightly in front of Rin, cautious of the mysterious forest, but intruiged all the same. The further they walked, the deeper they got caught up in the forest, and the darker it became. The trees thickened out and the leaves blocked the light. Rin had moved behind Len and held onto a small part of his white shirt. She regretted wearing shorts as it allowed the branches to prick her thighs, and the bugs to tickle her knees. Her white shoes were dirtied with the mud, and her short hair caught twigs and tangled.

"Maybe we should head back…" Len muttered. It was only getting darker, and he feared he could not protect his sister from whatever beasts lurked within. Rin was trembling, but her curiosity edged her on.

"No. We've come this far, we should carry on!" Determined, she bravely stepped away from her brother.

"It's too dangerous!" Len called out as Rin began to stride forwards.

"It's fine!" She called back, skillfully keeping the fear out of her voice.

Len watched worriedly and just as Rin went out of site behind a tree, a scream filled the air.

"Rin!" He yelled, running forwards in desperation. As he swung around the tree, he froze. They had reached a town, a small town with buildings and a brick road. It was just like any other town, except for the fact it was a morgue. Every inch of the town was filled with blood, splattered across the roads. Men, woman and children lay dead across streets. Heads lay far from bodies, and insides were splattered across corpses they did not belong too. Sat on the floor, surrounded by blood was Rin. Terror cursed her face as tears overflowed from amber eyes.

"Rin!" Len spun around, looking down towards the roots of the tree, examining every inch of his elder sister in distress. She appeared unharmed, only shocked. The yellow heart on her hand glowed. "Rin…" He whispered. In an instant she was clinging to him. Pushing her head into his shoulder, she gripped the front of his shirt, sobbing in fear. Len wrapped his arms around her as he looked back to the town. Whoever had done this seemed to either be one of the dead, or no longer here. Either one, the danger had passed.

XXX

"Everyone… the fourth 'Alice'… has arrived." Crimson eyes glared at the speaker. A pair of oceanic-blue eyes looked up in curiosity. While deep green eyes flashed in surprise. "I'm sure you'll find this 'Alice' interesting…." The eyes averted their gazes to a small screen, where two young children were walking through a town, trying their best to avoid walking on the dead bodies which surrounded them.

XXX

Len and Rin had decided to find out the reason for all the dead bodies, against Len's better judgments. Rin, walked in front, creating a small path for Len to follow. Len gripped Rin's hand, ready to pull her back at any sign of danger. They had argued on who should lead the way. Len had wanted to go first as he believed it could be dangerous, while Rin, determined to prove she was the elder and stronger, therefore better, had refused out of stubbornness. Len had soon given up, knowing there was no point in fighting, she'd do what she wanted and if he told her not to, then she'd simply do it herself.

It had also been Rin's idea to wonder around and find out what had happened. After calming down, curiosity had yet again overcome her. Striding confidently, they hopped over bodies and walked along the bloody road.

"Ah!" Rin's mouth opened. Len leaned to look around her, and saw that standing in front of them, was a large cathedral. Guards stood, stationed at the entrances. It looked so cleanly out of place in this 'town of the dead' that Len nearly fell over. Instead he stood gaping like a goldfish. "They're… They're alive!" Rin exclaimed in amazement.

"So they are…" Len commented, equally shocked. A huge grin broke across Rin's face.

"Oii!" She yelled, running up to the guards with her hands stretched high. "Oiii!" The guard's gaped at the small girl running over to them, they had not expected anyone to arrive.

"Rin!" Len called out. Knowing he'd be ignored, he also ended up running towards the cathedral. Rin was already excitedly talking to the men by then.

"I didn't know anyone else was here! I'm so glad you people survived! Do you have any idea who did this though?" Her speech was rushed, and the guards were just getting even more confused. As Len finally arrived, he reached out his left hand and gripped Rin's shoulder.

"Rin!" Len's harsh voice echoed across the near-empty town and caused the young girl to freeze. Pulling her back he whispered sharply, "No one could have truly escaped something like this, if they have injuries, they seem well hidden. These men could well be the cause for this mass-murder!" Rin oh-ed and looked blankly at the men, whose eyes had grown wide in shock. Rin tipped her head to the side in confusion, and Len looked up frowning. 'There's no way they could have heard me…' he thought.

But the men were staring in shocked horror at Len's hand, the hand which still rested on Rin's shoulder.

"Please wait here." One of them said and hurried inside, leaving the other guard to nod uncertainly at the twins, who in reply looked at each other and tipped their heads to the side. The first guard soon returned and spoke with his chin high, trying to regain superiority. "Please, come inside." He gestured to the now open door. "The bishop would like to meet you."

The twins paused. "Bishop?" They asked together.

"Yes, the bishop." The guard replied, unthawed by their synchronized answer. The twins nodded, and followed the guard, silently observing the walls and exits of the newly met room. An average-sized man stood in the middle. The guard left them standing a meter from this man.

"Welcome!" The bishop called, stretching his arms wide. "I apologize for what you had to see upon entering out humble town." He bowed deeply. Rin scowled. Something about this man rubbed her the wrong way.

"What caused it?" She asked bitterly. The bishop looked up in surprise. He had not expected such a sour tone, but he then quickly proceeded to collect himself.

"A red woman. A so-called… 'Alice' of this world." Upon the word 'Alice' his eyes glinted, waiting to see a reaction from the two children, whom simply blinked, awaiting more.

"Okay…" Len wondered if he was missing something. "And?" He raised his eyebrow critically.

"Your hand?" The bishop held out his own as he spoke. Len began to raise his right hand. "Other." The bishop snapped. Len apologized and placed his left hand into the bishop's. Rin growled under her breath. "Oh?" The bishop's eyes widened slightly. "Only half?" Len looked at his hand, only to see half of the golden heart which had appeared when the twins arrived in this world. Rin hesitantly raised her right hand to show her half of the heart.

"My, my…" The bishop commented. "Then, that would mean it is both of you together…" The children blinked up at him. "Together, you are an 'Alice'."

"'Alice'? You mean like whatever killed those people outside?" Rin's eyes widened. The bishop nodded. Scowling, she snatched away her hand. "We are nothing like that thing!" She grabbed Len's hand and stomped away.

"That 'thing' is one person, a red warrior whom holds a ruby sword." He called after them. "She who wishes to escape the woods…" He whispered to himself as the door slammed shut behind the children.

"The _nerve_ of that man!" Rin stropped. "To think we're anything like the person who did this!" She gestured to the floor around them and then froze. Suddenly being brought back to the reality of their horrendous neighbors, Rin collapsed to the ground, throwing up in disgust. Len patiently held her hair out of the way and decided that they would head back to the boat no matter what she said.

XXX

This time, Rin had allowed Len to lead the way, as she fussed, moaned and complained about what had happened, acting like a spoilt child, Len quietly held her hand and nodded in agreement, more concerned about getting back to the boat safely. He too, was suspicious of the bishop, but to completely ignore his warning would be stupid and pointless.

A high pitched laughter filled the air. Len froze, petrified, and gripped his sister's hand tighter. The sound danced around his mind and, spinning around, his heart missed a beat. The forest disappeared, and instead a white mist enclosed them. There stood a young woman with short brown hair and ruby eyes. Her pale face was splattered with blood, her red dress swayed in the breeze and in her hand she held a long sword with a ruby encrusted in the hilt. She smiled sweetly down at them.

XXX

Suddenly her face twisted with rage. Blindly swinging her sword at the two children, she screamed for them to move out of her path, and to save her from the forest's evil grasp. Her dress swayed, wrapping around her legs, as she ran towards the children. Inches from slicing Rin's throat, the woman jerked and fell back. A long, thin vine had curved around her limbs, slowly but sufficiently dragging her into the mist.

"That's not right." A young voice floated in the air. The woman screamed for help, as a vine wrapped itself around her waist and compressed, crushing her ribs. Her hand flashed out in desperation and the spade on her hand glowed, emitting a red tint to the mist. "Meiko, behave." The voice whispered. "It's your fault for killing all those people." A vine slapped around her throat, strangling the struggling warrior.

"No! You placed me there! I didn't want to be there! It's your fault! What else could I have done?" She hysterically blamed the previous speaker, "You selfish" Her last screech was cut off and the forest once again replaced the mist and woman. The two children stood frozen in shock. Eyes wide and mouth hanging, they had watched the scene unfold, and were now left alone in the forest.

**XXX**

**This is my first time publishing my work and i really wanna know what you think! .  
>I know it starts off kinda sucky, but in my opinion it gets better!<strong>

**Please review xxx**


	2. Meiko

A young woman stepped through a red door and found herself in a small town. As she walked, her crimson dress swayed and her short brown hair bounced. A girl named Meiko and at the age of 16, she was at the height of her beauty. Everyone she talked to was kind and welcomed her warmly. A man with blue hair sang to the townsfolk, small children skipped along the road and woman sat gossiping beside the fountain. It was a beautiful place, intriguing like no other, but… she did not know where she was or who anyone else was and that frightened her.

She was shy and felt blessed to meet so many sweet people. To be flirted with by men and included in the elder woman's conversations was something she had never experienced. The world seemed like a gift to her, even more so when she met her elder sister in the cathedral. But something was forever nagging at her mind, telling her again and again that she was forgetting something important. She focused herself on trying to remember, but was not successful. Then she heard a young child's voice, drifting on the wind.

"Why?" Such a fragile voice, Meiko feared it would break at the slightest touch. "You are my 'Alice'. The 'Alice' of this world. Why do you try so hard to remember? You have me. You have this world and your sister. I've brought her to you. I made her come, just for you. So why do you want to go back to that wretched place?" The frail voice was angry now, and Meiko felt very confused. She wondered who had spoken, and what was happening. What was the 'wretched place' she apparently wanted to go to?

Other than remembering what she had seemingly forgotten, she wanted nothing more than to stay in this blissful paradise. Everyone was generous and encouraging. She spent hours giggling with her sister by the fountain. Everything was perfect. Wasn't it? Then, on a sunny day like all the others, she was finally able to remember…

XXX

"Mama!" The grass waved in the breeze and the sun brightly lit the energetic child's face.

"Yes, Meiko?" A beautiful woman kneeled down to the small child who ran towards her.

"Look, Mama! I found flowers for you!" Holding up a small, hand-picked bouquet, the child grinned with joy. The woman gently took the flowers and thanked her daughter, smiling at the child's innocence. The maid standing beside them called for the woman, and led her away from the child, towards the mansion. As Meiko's smile began to wilt a slightly older child hugged her from behind.

"Cheer up, Meiko! Mama's just busy!" Spinning around Meiko met the view of her elder sister. Grinning like there's no tomorrow, the sister grabbed Meiko's hand and strode across the field using big steps and swinging her hands high in the air, along with one of Meiko's.

XXX

"She's just a child!" The woman screeched.

"Stop spoiling her!" The man yelled back. A china cup broke against the large wooden door where two young girls hid behind. The maids passed along the corridor, pretending not to notice, while the girls silently cried. The door had been left open slightly and so the children had an easy view of what was happening inside.

Eventually they decided it was getting late and went to their bedrooms to try and sleep, but no one could ignore the yells which still filled the mansion.

XXX

Tears fell from the young teen's eyes. A horse-drawn carriage had run over the eldest daughter of the mansion. Wearing her prettiest, black dress, the girl laid a flower on the coffin of her dearly loved and newly deceased elder sister. Head bent low, she slowly wobbled to her seat at the funeral.

XXX

In a drunken rage, the man threw everything within reach at his only living daughter. He cursed her and blamed her for the death of her elder sister, saying she should have died instead. The girl stood indifferently as he abused her in every way possible. Her mother sat helpless in a corner of the room, unable to help the daughter she deeply cared for. A single tear was the anything which gave away the girl's emotions.

XXX

A girl lay in the bed of a hospital, having been severely injured by her father's abuse, she was close to death. She did not blame her father though, she knew it was her fault sister had died. Who could blame him for getting angry about something she knew she did?

XXX

'No…' Meiko thought. 'To have had a past like that…' a strong wind suddenly swirled around her. The sunny sky turned dark as clouds blocked the light.

"Why? Why would you do that? I told you already, you are my 'Alice'! Why did you remember?" The voice screamed, furious. "I gave you what you wanted! So why would you do something like that?" She could tell the voice was crying, but didn't care.

"So… all of this… it's not real?" Her voice was small and barely audible among the gusting wind. "You mean to tell me, that all of this is fake? That sister is dead? Then… am I also…?" Her soft voice was lost by the ferocious torrent which caged her. All of a sudden, her sister called out to her, asking her to come inside from the storm. Meiko slowly shook her head and a sword started to form in her palm. A red spade glowed from the back of her right hand and a ruby sat in the gold hilt of her now fully formed sword.

Holding the sword in both hands, she sprinted from the town. Determined to escape the woods, she ran for hours… Only to find herself back in the village. Mad with fear, her desperation turned her insane and she cut down everyone in her way. 'They're not real.' She thought. 'They're tricking me'. When she stood in front of her sister, she paused. Looking at the pleading woman she had always loved, a tear fell, but she still proceeded to slice open the woman's heart. Throughout the duration of her holocaust the voice howled for her to stop, but she would not listen. After executing all who stood in her way, she left the bloodbath and walked back into the forest.

"You shouldn't have done that…" The voice whispered menacingly. As Meiko walked, the trees closed in on her and vines slithered towards her wavering body. The vines leapt at her skin, whipping her hair and cutting her dress. Before she had time to react, the vines had encaged her and were dragging her into the darkness.

"You shouldn't have done that!" The voice shrieked in hatred. Meiko was furious, it had tricked her and now it was _mad_ at her? But as the vines violently tugged at her body, she knew she could not fight back for long. Her wrist cracked sharply as she dropped the sword.

"No!" The young woman screamed. Her blood-red eyes, distorted with rage. "I am 'Alice'! I am the 'Alice' of this world!" She screeched. The last anyone saw of her, was a pale hand marked with a red spade, reaching out desperately for salvation.

"No… you are not the 'Alice' I want." The voice whispered into the darkness.

**XXX**

'The first ALICE was a red warrior woman

Charging gallantly into Wonderland with sword in hand.

In order to escape the woods

She cut down all who stood in her way with a bloody wake.

This first ALICE, somewhere in the woods

Was finally trapped and locked away as a criminal.

Were it not for the paths she had made

No one would have ever known she was there in the first place.'

**XXX**

**Again, please review! I'd hope you're looking forwards to the next chapter but I personally don't think I have anyone following me right now… ^.^"**

**Oh well! I'm going to write it anyway~ xxx**


	3. Akumu?

As the two children walked hand in hand, the sun began to rise and the birds began to sing. Upon approaching a small blue door, they smiled mischievously and opened it together. Stepping through, they no longer found themselves standing inside a forest. Instead a green meadow sat at their feet, flowers bloomed and silver fish glistened in the lake as they began to explore the new found land. They blissfully played in the meadow, relaxing on the shore, splashing each other in the lake... It was the perfect place to be after having witnessed the 'Alice' get dragged away by vines which the Voice seemed to control.

Not knowing what to call the voice they always heard, but still knowing it was a threat and needed a way of recognition, they had decided on a simple title of 'Voice'.

"It's too boring! You need something more imaginative than 'Voice'!" Len, the younger brother, complained.

"No way. I don't want something complicated that I can't remember, anyway I bet it has a _real_ name. Why don't we ask for that?" Rin, the elder sister, replied, annoyed.

"But…" Len's voice was quiet and hesitant, he didn't know just _how_ dangerous the Voice could be, and didn't want to find out the hard way.

"Come on, I want to see more than just this simple field." Rin replied, ignoring her brother and walking towards what looked like a village in the horizon. Len hurried after her, only hesitating when he realized it was a village which they were approaching.

As they neared the village, they sighed in relief to see it was clean and that many people stood, alive and unharmed. Still holding hands, they walked inside and were amused at the antics which were being held nearby. A traveller and his companion performing on the street had called out a young boy who had attempted to steal a loaf of bread. They were now forcing him to try and juggle three small buns which were well buttered and therefore very slippery. The twins laughed and chucked some coins into the hat which lay invitingly on the floor. The traveller nodded in thanks then, returning to his show, he took the buns from the drooling child and instead placed a baguette and told him to 'run along'.

The twins continued to wonder around until they came across a tall statue which stood proudly at the heart of the village. They looked up, captivated by the grey stone, a tall man who wore a scarf around his neck. He held one arm stretched forwards and the other clutched what was supposedly paper, tightly against his chest. His mouth was stretched open and his eyes were closed. A chill caught the children off guard as they spotted a small diamond shape engraved on his left hand.

"Could he be…?" Rin trailed off, her eyes were stuck to the man's outstretched hand.

"I think he is…" Len muttered, lifting a finger to feel the cut in the stone which created the diamond shape.

"Alice." They said together.

"My, my… I've not seen you two before, we seem to be getting a lot of travellers recently… are you paying your respects to Kaito?" A woman appeared beside them. Her plump little face held a cheery smile as she spoke to the identical strangers.

"Who's Kaito?" Rin asked bluntly. The woman's eyes widened slightly but she then laughed good heartedly.

"That man is Kaito." She said, pointing up at the statue. "He was an amazing singer with such a kind heart… He would travel around and sing to the townsfolk, but he always came back here and assured us that this was his home." She sighed, lost in sweet memories. "Then… he suddenly refused to sing to us. He would not carry the same happy smile when he came home, instead he seemed confused and upset. He'd come home with many wonderful riches and laugh, then become distant and travel off again. It had been happening for a while and one of the children in the village decided to ask him what was wrong, but when she went inside his house she could not find him, until she reached up and opened the door to the last room, where she saw him sprawled out on a chair. A deep hole lay in the left side of his head, a gun sat on the table in front of him, his hands lay limp and blue roses surrounded his body."

"But nowadays no one seems to remember he even existed…." The woman trailed off. Rin frowned in disappointment that the story had ended so quickly. Then she caught hold of an idea. The woman looked down in surprise as Rin squeaked in excitement.

"Can you take us to his house?" She asked expectantly. Len smiled cheekily, he knew where this was heading and didn't want to miss a second. The woman smiled, nodded and then led them away from the statue and into a small house. It seemed just like any other house and the twins began to doubt the old woman's memory until they reached the last room in the house. There was no body, but the gun and roses remained.

"I guess it'll have to be enough" Len sighed.

"If you're any good at your job it'll be _more_ than enough!" Rin retorted snobbishly. The woman looked at them questioningly as they both began to grin their heads off.

"Well, let us get started, my good madam." Len bowed and held his hand out to Rin.

"Indeed, my good sir." Rin curtseyed and took his hand.

"As a detective… it is my job to find out what happened!" The children said in sync. Rin stood on the right and held her right hand outstretched to the side, while Len stood on the left and held his left hand outstretched to the side. Rin's left foot was clamped next to Len's right and pointed forwards, while her right foot pointed in the same direction as her right arm, Len mirrored this with his left foot. Their shoulders slumped and their knees were bent slightly. Their fingers were entwined and the hands were held up between their heads, which lay bent, allowing hair to hide their eyes. They stood so close together that the woman could not see where one started and the other stopped. Her jaw hanging, she was gob smacked by the children's perfect symmetry.

"Let's go!" The shouted joyfully. Using each other's weight to balance as they pushed away from their twin and ran forwards into the room, squeezing together to fit through the small entrance, where they then started their investigation! The woman laughed and left them to it, saying she had jobs to do and to feel free to come find her if they wanted anything.

"Please… stop." The Voice whispered. The children jumped in surprise and spun around.

"Who are you?" Rin called out courageously. The Voice gasped in surprise.

"Of all the 'Alice's… no one has ever asked about me…" The Voice indicated its awe.

"Well I have, so answer." Rin said impatiently.

"Akumu!" The voice cried in happiness.

"Akumu? You mean like Nightmare?" Len asked, wondering if the Voice was being serious.

"Yes! I am Akumu! But… I don't think I should be called Akumu…" Akumu started off happy, but his voiced trailed away sadly.

"You're right, it's not a very nice name…" Len commented thoughtfully.

"But it's an interesting name! I like it, it's cool!" Rin piped in, smiling. "So, Akumu, tell us about yourself!" Len looked at Rin and laughed. 'Of course! Get on the Voice's good side and we should be fine.' He thought.

"Hmm, okay! My name Akumu, I'm small and have black hair which covers my eyes!"

"What are you wearing?" Rin encouraged the childish voice, it sounded like a young boy who was boasting about his new action figure and the thought caused her to giggle.

"Oh, umm… big clothes." There was a pause where he must've looked down to see.

"Hey, you never asked who we were! That's not very polite!" Rin teasingly scolded him.

"Oh? But I know who you are." Akumu said blankly. The twins looked at each other, confused. "You are my dear 'Alice'!" He said lovingly. "How could I not know you? Ah, but… please stop searching around Kaito… I don't want"

"Who are you, Akumu?" Rin sharply cut him off. There was a silence, and the twins felt Akumu's presence had disappeared. They sighed and went back to the investigation.

XXX

"It's actually quite surprising that the gun was left here." Rin commented. "Usually the prime evidence is taken away in the investigation." Len nodded thoughtfully. 'Usually it's first to leave the scene after the body, so why would they leave the murder weapon here for so long?' Len glanced at the gun, 'It's loaded too…'

"For everyone to forget he existed… I wonder how long ago that took… and the woman seems to be speaking from personal experience with him." Len was utterly confused.

"We should ask how long ago he died. It's hard to tell what happened about the roses from his death as they're all growing from the floor. What I find most interesting though, is that every single one is blue. That is, except for that red one to the left of the chair." Rin indicated to a gap by the chair where a single red rose grew from a crack in the floorboard. They had already checked it, it was naturally a deep scarlet and grew alone, away from the blue ones.

While Len tried to gather his thoughts, not on how the man had died but what had happened after and around his death, Rin stretched and yawned. Looking out the window, she noticed the sun had long gone and the moon was already high in the sky.

"We should sleep. Lack of sleep affects the brain, therefore causing misinterpretations and problems in the detectives' careful reasoning." Rin stated half-heartedly. Len glanced out the window and nodded in reply.

"Where should we go, though?" He asked. Rin shrugged in reply and yawned again. They wandered out of the house, only to find that everyone else had left the streets into the comfort of their own homes. Sighing, Len walked back inside to check out the bedroom of the man's house. Rin looked at him with wide eyes. "We haven't got much of a choice right now." Len replied to what he knew his sister was thinking. Seeing as Rin still didn't seem to believe that they were going to have to sleep here, Len continued. "We don't have any money, and I doubt you'd be up for looking for an inn anyway. We don't even know what currency they use." Rin's mouth opened and closed as she gaped like a goldfish.

After checking the cupboards in the bedroom, Len was only able to find one extra cover which they could use to keep warm. Seeing as there was nothing to make another bed, they had to crawl in together. There was a sort of nostalgic feeling that came to mind as they lay facing each other, one they could not quite put their fingers on. After saying a hazy good night, they both fell straight asleep.

XXX

"Mmm, what should we do today?" Rin asked, stretching in a gap on sunlight which the window was letting through. Len shrugged as he struggled with jam. They were quite impressed at the comfort of the bed, that clean water was still running through the house, and that there was still some food in the cupboards. Rin had just come out of the shower to find that Len, who had already had his, was attempting to open a tightly shut jar of jam. Well, I say trying, but he was failing miserably, though he wouldn't admit it. Eventually, the impatient Rin snatched the jar out of his hands as he sat, exhausted, against the wall. Rin was also incapable of opening it, so they had to look under the stairs and use a wrench. By the time the lid was finally off, neither of them had enough energy to eat the jam. After slowly having regained their strength, the twins had greedily gobbled up the jam whilst scolding it for being so hard to open.

"Well, what should we do?" Rin put down the brush and spun around to face Len. Having explored a bit the night before, they had found a variety of objects and clothing. Len had decided to keep it simple with new clothing, and so he wore a large black hat which swayed out so he could pull it down to cover his eyes. On the other hand, Rin had nearly gone crazy with excitement to find that all the souvenirs of female clothing were in her size. Having tried on nearly every outfit, the frustrated Len had stopped her from the one-person fashion show and given her a black leather jacket and a hat which matched his. As much as Rin adored the 'new outfit', she was also sulky that Len had stopped her fun.

"Wow… look at all these weapons…" They had opened yet another box from yet another cupboard and the newest box seemed to be stacked with a variety of weapons. Rin gasped in awe and picked up a small pocketknife.

"This is amazing…" By pushing from the opposite side, a variety of tools easily appeared. Len picked up a small pistol and looked inside to see if there were any bullets.

"The guns even have bullets…" Then a sudden thought hit Len's mind. "We should take some…" Rin's thought pattern had followed Len's, so she nodded in agreement.

"Self-defense." She stated as she careful started to pick through the weapons to find her best choice.

XXX

Len stood in the doorway of the house, facing out to the morning sun. On his back a long and thin katana sat, sheathed, inside a bag which had been hand made from rags specifically to carry the sword, and to hide that it was a sword inside. Rin stood behind him, with her hands on her hips. She had hidden two small, silver revolvers in the inside pockets of her new jacket and clipped the chain of a red pocketknife to the belt straps in her shorts, the actually knife lay hidden inside her pocket so no one would know what was on the chain.

"Let's go." Len's voice was full of determination as he walked forwards into the blinding sun.

**XXX**

**MWAHAHAHA….  
>Hope you enjoyed that chapter It was a little longer than usual so I decided to put a cliffhanger there~ But that also means the next chapter may be kinda short…<br>Well, tough! u Mwahaha-nya~**

**Oh, and due to certain reasons… the next chapter may be put off for a while… well that or the one after… I really don't want that to happen but I just know I'm gonna be getting into major trouble with parents soon so laptop will probably get taken away…  
>Sorry but it's gonna be worse for me than you… . :'(<strong>

**Oh well, hope you enjoyed this chapter and are patient with my next, please review, it means a lot to me! 3 xxx**


	4. The Unknown Statue

Len stood in the doorway of the house, facing out to the morning sun. On his back a long and thin katana sat, sheathed, inside a bag which had been hand made from rags specifically to carry the sword, and to hide that it was a sword inside. Rin stood behind him, with her hands on her hips. She had hidden two small, silver revolvers in the inside pockets of her new jacket and clipped the chain of a red pocketknife to the belt straps in her shorts, the actually knife lay hidden inside her pocket so no one would know what was on the chain.

"Let's go." Len's voice was full of determination as he walked forwards into the blinding sun. Rin nodded seriously and followed him with her thumbs hitched into her pockets. They were going to work on their investigation, but this time they were investigating the town, not the dead. They kept their eyes dead in front, preventing them from being lured into distractions.

"This will do." Len said as he hopped onto a pile of crates. He sat with his legs hanging off the edge at the same height as most of the villagers' shoulders. Rin jumped up next to him and turned to face the small stall, where a man sat on a stool, trying to sell jewelry. They sat, watched and soon enough a lady came up to the stall to look at some earrings. The children froze and kept their eyes glued to the scene, like two cats and an ignorant mouse.

The lady and store owner talked a little, then the woman laughed and walked away. The children's shoulders slumped as they sighed in disappointment, but they continued to watch vigorously. Figuring they had as much time as they wanted, they had decided to spend as long as possible exploring and learning all the secrets and common knowledge of the town.

They spent half the day watching the small stall, but all that happened was that people talked to the owner or looked at what was on sale. Finally, when their stomachs were growling and painful, a woman pulled her purse out of her handbag and started looking through it. The twins immediately regained their motivation and, ignoring their roaring stomachs, fiercely watched as the lady pulled out 3 coins of a different variety and handed them to the shopkeeper in exchange for a small ring.

Their rigid position remained despite the fact that the woman had left and the man had put the money away. While their thoughts processed that it was coins, they were somehow left with blank minds. After spending ages anticipating what the money was, they felt slightly empty to find it was so simple.

"Coins?" Rin said, devastated, ten minutes after. Len groaned, bringing his hands up to his face in exasperation.

"And I highly doubt we'll be able to get a hold of any unless we result to crime." Len groaned.

"Which means…" The twins were looking down pitiably at their vast empty stomachs when a familiar voice called out.

"Oh? You're still here? What are you doing with that those miserable, dejected faces?" The plump lady for the day before was looking up at them in wonder. The twins looked up in surprise and quickly jumped down from the crates they'd been sitting on.

"Tell us about Kaito! What's the currency used here? When did he die? Where can we get food?" The children bombarded her with questions while she looked helplessly at either face, not being able to get a word in edge ways. Loud grumbles suddenly emitted from their stomachs which cause both of them to pause and the lady to laugh.

"Come along, we'll go get some lunch and then you can question me one at a time." She smiled and lead them away from the crates and deeper into town.

XXX

The children sat slumped in their chairs, faces content as they softly rubbed their full tummies.

"Now why don't you start again, what were you asking before?" She looked down at them, smiling and thinking how sweet they seemed. The twins looked at each other and Rin gestured for Len to start, so he turned his attention back to the lady and proceeded to ask about Kaito.

"Kaito? I'm sorry, I don't know who you mean. I've never heard of the name Kaito, the statue in the town square has been there for ages but I've no idea who it actually is." The woman seemed to be speaking honestly, which left the twins utterly perplexed. After a while of insisting she was the one who told them about him and her refusing she ever knew his existence, they gave up and walked away feeling dejected and muddled.

"She can't have just forgot, could she? She didn't seem old enough for memory loss or have a noticeable injury to the head…" Len was debating the possibilities with his sister as they approached the statue. It appeared to be freshly cleaned. There was no dirt, nothing growing on it, no slime or chips, it looked brand new so someone must have recently cleaned it, yet no one remembered who it was. Rin crouched down to look at the plate below which labeled it.

"Our beloved Kaito. Songwriter, artist and singer, he loved us as we loved him. Born 23rd April -, died 5th June" Rin paused, "That's odd." Len squatted down next to her and looked questioningly into her eyes. "There's no year. It just randomly cuts off. As if it was going to be written but they forgot about… it…" Rin's eyes widened and she tilted her head closer to Len, whispering, "What day is it today?" Len blinked then his eyes flickered to the surroundings. Everyone was walking calmly, laughing and talking, no memory of this so called famous Kaito. Rin had asked a very good question. What day was it today?

XXX

In front of the small house stood a young girl in a small dress, she was looking up towards a window but her mind was obviously elsewhere. The twins approached her, intrigued, for it was Kaito's house she stood in front of. When they were level with her Rin bent down towards the girl and placed her hands on her knees for support.

"Little girl, what are you doing here?" She asked softly. The girls blinked slowly then spoke with a sad voice, never taking her eyes off the house,

"Something happened here. I'm sure, it was something important. I just… can't remember." She trailed off then suddenly blinked and was brought back to reality. "Huh? Who are you? What are you doing here? Ah, I'm sorry, Mummy will be worried so I must go home now! Bye bye!" She smiled and waved, never having consciously heard either person's voice, then skipped along home.

XXX

The twins were sitting on the steps outside Kaito's house and leaning against the door, going over the recent events in their minds. The lady had never heard of Kaito, his statue was missing a year, the young girl seemed to have some connection to the house. Rin lifted her gaze and watched absentmindedly as a clown walked down the street handing out papers. Len was deep in thought and didn't notice him until he came up to Rin and with a large smile and, handed her a paper.

**Welcome**

**to the**

**Dark Wood Circus**

**7th June-10th June -**

Rin's eyes widened, the clown was turning away from her, she reached forwards and grabbed onto his sleeve. She felt like the world was in slow motion as he turned and tilted his head towards her desperate, fearful face.

"What day is it today?" She whispered, barely audible. The clown's face frowned in confusion and he leaned forwards, lifting his hand to cup his ear. "What day is it today?" She repeated, never having moved from her spot. The clown smiled down at her and placed his finger onto the paper. 7th June. He turned away again and carried on towards another townsfolk, handing out more papers. Len looked at him with interest then switched his attention back to his frozen sister.

"What is it?" He asked. But Rin just pointed to the advert, her eyes staring off into space. As the young boy leaned over her shoulder his eyes examined the date she was pointing too. 7th June, two days after Kaito died. And the year… If you add that to Kaito's birth year, that would mean he's 27. A young man.

**XXX**

**It's been a while but I have worked on the story every now and then... And I have ideas on how to stretch it out more! :3  
>(This arc is already much longer then Meikos though, I wonder how the others will turn out~?<br>Sorry for not posting often but thank you to my 2 reviewers! Knowing that someone actually reads this should help inspire me to post the chapters and continuing writing!**

**Please continue to read and review my chapters, thank you!**

**-Cherry xx**


	5. Detectives

Dashing through the town in an impatient search, the children stumbled across the pavements in search of some kind of officials in this lonesome town. Unable to stay still due to the frustration of their unanswered questions, Len's outburst had lead him to dragging Rin to her feet and insisting on finding a detective, a policeman or just _someone _who might have documents of the incident. Throwing their heads from side to side, they glanced at each building passing by. Rushing along narrowed paths and wide roads, they left no land uncovered. Finally a yell called the other to a wide building with thin windows and a large sign marking itself as the police. The children paused, slumped over, panting in front of the dark wooden door. Their hands held onto their knees, holding their bodies up as sweat dragged their heads down.

"Hey. Do you think." Panting heavily, Rin started to speak.

"That they'll know? Maybe." An equally exhausted Len finished her sentence as he pushed himself up to an upright position. "Let's try." His breath had returned and with it came a serious expression as he strode towards the door; the golden half heart on his hand complimented the bronze door handle as he pulled it open. A tingle twiddled as the bell tinkled, announcing their arrival to the young man sitting behind a wooden desk.

"Yes?" He asked tiredly, a bored expression on his face proved he had no interest in the young children that stood before him.

"We want to know about an incident committed a few days ago." Rin spoke up while the seemingly lazy man fiddled with the hairs of his brown stubble that subtly complimented his short, messy hair.

"An incident?" He asked, bemused. "Listen girly, this is a small town, if anything happened, we'd know about it. And personally, I don't really think anything happened recently. We've had some pretty lazy days."

"I didn't ask what you _thought_." The girl glared impatiently.

"Rin." Len's soft hush attempted to calm her down. Ignoring her brother, Rin carried on.

"We want to look at the files. Surely even a small police department like you keeps files on all the cases."

"Of course we do!" Jolting to a stand, the man revealed himself to be broad but slim with a loose russet jacket over his white work shirt. His face clearly showed the dissatisfaction he had of being belittled by a woman nearly half his height whom he'd never before seen yet had a strong sense of self assigned superiority over him. "But we're the Queen's children. It's not like we can just show these files to anyone. Especially not egoistic little girls who waltz in and order them with no explanation."

'Queen's children?' The thought flickered briefly through the inquisitive mind of the younger twin. Rin growled gently at being called egoistic but let it go.

"Well if nothing's happened recently then there should be nothing on the files with recent dates, correct? So may we please look at any files based around the 5th of June?" She was beginning to grow impatient again. The man sighed in defeat, too tired to argue with the stubborn little princess that stood determinedly in front of him.

"Fine, fine. I get it. Go ahead. But just this once! I'll let you have a look at all the files from the last week." Gently moving from behind his desk, the man glided towards a mahogany cabinet.

XXX

He fiddled in his pockets and pulled out a set of keys, slowly unlocking the bottom draw. "Latest, latest." He picked at file marks. "Oh?" He paused and softly tugged at a folder. "Interesting..." Muttering to himself he flicked it open to the first page. "5th June -. This is the latest file but it doesn't seem to have any neat notes. Only the original pages we write notes on at the scene. Strange. I'll have to ask Alex about it later. But for now I suppose you can browse through it, just as long as you don't leave the office with it. Stay here whilst you read, you can borrow the desk over there." He motioned to an empty desk nearby as he returned to his own, chewing on his pencil.

The children quickly skipped towards the desk and laid the folder open on top. Briskly flipping through the pages, they skimmed the scribbled notes in confusion.

_Victim: Kaito_  
><em>Background: Famous singer, lives alone in Blueberry Cottage on Blackberry Lane.<em>  
><em>Incident: Death - Either murder or suicide<em>  
><em>Details: Gunshot to the head from close quarters, sitting on the lone chair at table in dining room, blue roses growing naturally from the ground, one to the left of the chair is covered in his blood.<em>  
><em>Date: 5th June -<em>  
><em>Suspects: Unknown<em>

"Hey, we can't bring this out, right?" Rin called over to the man.

"Nope." He replied simply, his body hunched over around what he was working on.

"But can we make copies? Like notes of our own?" Len carried on the conversation.

"Huh? Sure I guess. There doesn't seem to be much in there anyway." There was a pause as he focussed on a seemingly difficult part of whatever he was doing. "There should be some paper in the bottom right draw. Take a couple of pages from that and do as you wish."

"Thank you!" Chimed in Rin, smiling gratefully as Len picked out the clean paper, the bottom left corner of every page had a light clover printed to mark the shop it came from. They began copying all the notes, word for word, onto the now ink covered pages.

XXX

"We're done now." The twins rose from their seats and neatly pushed everything back into the folder.

"That's nice." Leaning back, the man stretched his arms above his head with a content smile. Len's hand froze mid air with the folder hanging loosely just above the desk.

"What is that?" He whispered.

"Hm? This?" The man looked down at the paper in front of him. On it lay the pencil he'd used to create a rough but immensely detailed sketch of a tall thin man. Lightly shaded background characters surrounded him and everyone was smiling. Children pulled at his trousers with laughing faces and young women blushed, huddled at a distance, glancing admirably over at him. The sun shone high, making the water at a distant fountain glisten. A tabby cat curled her tail around the man's legs, wrapping him in place. "It's just a sketch."

A moment's pause with no reaction from the tense children. The man's rough voice was the only noise to be heard inside the silent building.  
>"I'm an artist. Though only as a hobby. I tend to draw what I admire or whatever inspires me. Though come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen a man like that before. Strange. But I recognize the others. That there's my wife." A proud smile overcame his face as he pointed to a young lady standing next to the man, she was giggling quietly, firmly holding a baby-shaped blanket to her chest. "And that there looks sort of like Isabelle." He seemed to be questioning his own picture. "You get a lot of stray cats around here, but she there's got to be the friendliest. Lives by the fountain she does. She'd always follow him around. Wait day and night by the edge of the water so as soon as she stood up, everyone knew he was nearing the town's gate."<p>

"Who? Who'd near the town's gate?" Len asked in a strained urgency.

"That was- Um, who was it again? I had it a second ago. Did... Did she ever follow anyone around? In general she's just a nice cat. Though recently she's been very quiet. Haven't seen her by the fountain. Wonder if she went on a journey."

"Can we have this picture?" The desperation shone through her voice and tore at her face. "Please, please, can we have this picture?" Confusion caused the man to hesitate but he soon nodded and leant down to sign it.

"I don't see why you want it so badly. Personally I have mixed feelings. I like it, it's good, I'll admit, but something about it I don't like. The character's strange. I don't know him, it gives me the chills. But you seem like good kids and you stopped being rude so I guess I'll give this to you." He handed the paper over to Rin. She held it delicately, as if to prevent it from any damage or crease her body or the air might cause it. "You behave now. Don't go getting your tiny little fingers muddy in trouble." His thick hand was soon in the air, waving them off with a jolly smile on his face. The children chorused their thanks as they trotted out, heading back to the stone statue.

**XXX**

**Aaaaand, that's the end of the detective chapter. I have the start of the next chapter written from before so I suppose I'll work on it now :)**

**(It's an on/off project. Sometimes I'll work really hard for ages, other times I forget about it for a few months... Sorry!)**

**Please review and I hope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading!**

**-Cherry xxxx**


	6. Ciaran Sionnach

"Agh! This town is so confusing! There are too many streets!" Stropping down the cobblestones, the children were lost in the maze of roads.

"Calm down, Rin. It looks like there are some people over there. Maybe there's an opening."

It turned out that what lay in front of them was indeed an opening, but there was no statute. Instead, a shimmering marble fountain sat in the middle of a small round open area.

"Excuse me, miss. I'm sorry, we're lost, could you tell us how to get to the centre of town?" They quietly went up to a pair of gossiping girls who looked only a couple years older than them. The girls stared down at the foreigners in confusion, tall white heels peaked out from under each skirt. "You know, the area with the statue; Kaito."

"Statue? Ah, that old thing. You mean the one near the main gate? Sorry, we're busy right now." The snobbish reply was accompanied by laughter as the girls quickly hustled away, sniggering to themselves.

"Well that was rude." Rin placed her hands firmly on her hips in annoyance.

"Meow."

"Huh? Len, did you hear something?" The twins looked around in confusion.

"Meow!" Louder this time.

"A cat?"

"**Mow!**" Jumping a little, the startled twins stared at their feet. A chocolate tabby sat staring fixatedly up at them. "Meow." Soft pink paws started padding at Rin's bare knees. "Mroow." The call was longer and mixed with purring this time. "Mew." A soft, timid call for attention.

"She's beautiful!" Squealing in excitement, Rin quickly picked up the silky cat. "So soft!" She stroked the purring throat, gently cradling the small body in her arm.

"Wait a second, Rin. Doesn't she look kinda like..."

"Like?" Rin dragged the word out in a blank curiosity.

"Isabelle?" The cat mewled and looked at him expectantly, her purring turned thunderous as she leaped from Rin's arms.

"Ah! Come to think of it, she does! The cat he drew! But was that man really the same as the statue? Kaito?" Throughout the conversation, the tiny tabby had been listening quietly, waiting. But this time the meow was deafening. Flicking her tail, the tabby turned and ran down a smooth street. "Ah! Kitty?!" Reaching her arm out after the cat, Rin stood in despair to see the cutie dash away. But to the children's surprise, she stopped at a corner and looked back at them, flicking her tail impatiently.

"Meow!"

"Kitty!" Rin cried gleefully, chasing the cat.

"She has a name, Rin!" Len called out, following the girls' lead and jogging down the street. The line of tag continued through several twists and turns, Isabelle slowly leading the way, never letting the humans get too close but never losing sight of them either.

"Meow." Tender paws now padded lonesomely at the cold stone statue. She'd brought them to the opening. Her mewls acted as highlights to bring them specifically to Kaito's statue. "Mrow!"

"She sounds like she's crying..." Rin commented woefully as the small striped cat continued to mewl pitifully like a lost kitten.

"So it really is her… Isabelle." Gold eyes turned to look up at the calling of her name. "So you remember him at least; 'Kaito'. Was he your master? Is he the one that detective said you'd follow every day?" Len tried desperately to gather information but the small tabby cat just stared up at him blankly.

Sighing, Rin shook her head. "Give up, Len. She's just a cat, there's no way she can understa-"

"Ooh! It's Isabelle! It's been a while! What are you doing here of all places?" A lady had suddenly swooped in and plucked the cat up, cradling and cooing to the small ball of fur. "Ah, it's been a while but your fur is just as soft as I remember it! … Oh sorry, I didn't see you there. May I help you?" She paused, glancing down through the sleek chocolate wall she'd snuggled her face into, finally having noticed the gobsmacked children staring up at her.

"Err, ye- I mean no, I mean… maybe? Who are you?"

"Oooh, aren't you just the cutest little thing!" Propping the cat up so her chest was supporting it, the lady suddenly reached out her hand and started squeezing Rin's cheeks. "Stuttering and everything. You guys ain't from around here now are you? No way you could be, we knows every face around we do, small town after all." She patted Rin's now red cheek and move the hand back to caressing Isabelle's purring neck. Rin stood frozen with a slight look of shocked disgust.

"Er, no, we're" Len paused in search of the right word, "travellers." He frowned in slight confusion, _Travellers? Why are we travelling? In fact, when did we start travelling_?

"Oooh, travellers!" The lady gushed, "Well are you having fun? Enjoying our small town of beauty?! We have quite the entertainers around here! In fact, I think he's travelling but there's the famous Kaito! This is his home town ya know!? It really is amazing to live in the company of fame…" she drifted off in a dreamy sigh.

"Kaito?!" Rin had regained her composure and yelled in sync with Len.

"You know Kaito?!"

"Can you tell us more about him?"

"When was his death?"

"What happened to him?"

"Why does no one seem to know him,"

"Despite being the so called famous singer"

"And even having a statue for himself?!" The twins questions slurred together as they moved closer and closer the lady in anticipation.

"Eh? Um, did I mention someone with that name, dearies? I think you must be mistaken." Overwhelmed, the lady was slowly stepping away as the twins moved closer, their questions growing louder by the second. "Look, I got somewhere to be, okay? You guys look after li'l Isabelle, now. Bye!" Thrusting the cat towards them the lady turned and fled from the scene. The children's faces dropped and the tabby sat squirming in the strong hands but limp arms of Len Kagamine.

"She ran away."

"She said his name but she forgot a second later."

"What are we supposed to dooo~?!" Rin's monotone question changed to a low pitched moan as she dropped to a crouch on the floor and hid her face in her hands. "Aggh! We're no closer to finding out what happened!"

"**Shut up!**" A screech tore through their moment of depression as the air turned cold and mist surrounded them. "Stop it, please!" the childish voice wailed.

"Ah! Akumu!" Rin's head snapped up in surprise. "But, what are you doing here?"

"It's your fault! Stop it! Stop questioning it! Move on! He's nothing! Kaito's nothing! He doesn't exist! He died! It's his fault! He chose it! He wanted to die! That's why he did it! So give up! Give up! Give up! **Give up**!" Akumu screamed, furious. Something gave the sense that he was crying, even though they couldn't see him.

"You know Kaito!? You know what happened to him?!" Len called out in amazement, dropping the bottle-brushed cat into thin air.

"Yes, I know. Of course I know, do you take me to be an idiot?! After he did that right infront of my eyes… It's his fault. He did it. He didn't want to be Alice. _He didn't want to be Alice so he killed himself_. He was so happy. Why do they always do this? Why is it always like this?" Akumu's words drifted off, slowly becoming more muddled and mumbled. "Why, why, why? It's not fair!" Wails filled the air as lightning flashed from high above the mist.

Taking a step back in fear, Rin tried to shout over the thunder, "Killed himself? You mean it was suicide?!" Her blonde hair whipped at her face in the oncoming storm.

"But why?! Why did he kill himself, Akumu? Every said he was so happy! Famous! Loved! So why?!" But Akumu ignored the children's cries, simply screeching for them to give up, leave, to explore another world. "Answer us, **Akumu!**" Len's final yell brought upon the sudden cease in wind. The thunder calmed, the mist faded and finally a small tabby cat stared up at them with curious, golden eyes burning into their skin. Looking up at the sun, water drops covering their body, "It's hot" he sighed, squinting at the brightness of daylight.

XXX

Behind Kaito's wooden house was a small, enclosed garden. A tree stood high, shadowing an outdoor table and pair of white chairs. Sitting quietly on the table were two china cups on small china plates. Thin purple lines swirled around the cups' outside, creating an intricate pattern similar to the knots of the rose stems in the dining room, small blue rose petals decorated the plates' outer ring. The soft, calming fragrance of cinnamon and apples wafted up from the tea cups, gently surrounding the children. The sun warmed them gently, the cool breeze helping keep a comfortable heat.

"It's amazing, this place." Rin whispered. "I wish I could stay here forever."

Smiling, Len replied, "Even so, I'm still kinda confused about Kaito. I mean, if what Akumu said was true then he committed suicide, but I still don't get _why_."

"I don't either, but he didn't leave a note so... I guess no one really will ever know why. I mean, we _could_ bug Akumu, I get the feeling he knows but… Honestly, I'm kinda scared of him at times. Even though he seems like such a little child…"

"I'm with you on that… He seems kinda—" but Len was cut off by a sudden knock at the door.

_Knock knock knock_.

"Um… Len, aren't we the only ones who pay attention to this house?"

"Ye-yeah, I _think_ so… But,"

_Knock knock knock_.

"-But that's definitely the door." He finished his sentence, getting up and heading inside towards the front door. "Hello?" He asked, peeking his head around the corner. Just infront of the few steps leading up the door was a tall masked man. Dressed in a smart black and white tux with small green clover cuff links, his shining black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, falling part way down his back, with a thin white ribbon tying it in place. "Er, can I help you?" Despite being a slight level higher than the man, Len was still only just eye to eye with him and the creased formality of the well-built stranger was slightly intimidating.

"Are you 'Alice'?" If it weren't for the voice, Len wouldn't have even realized the man was alive. He seemed nearly like a doll, a toy; a prop. The pure white mask covered the entire left side of his face and arched over his nose, dipping only just above his right cheek –in line with the skull's socket- to show a dark green eye with small jade lines. His eyelashes were long and sleek; the small portion of his face would have any girl faint for it screamed of a beauty never before seen. When Rin popped her head out from behind Len in a reasonably curious manner, his gaze briefly flickered to her before returning to focus on the boy at hand; at which point Rin blushed scarlet and did indeed faint, though only for a couple seconds.

"R-Rin!" He gasped as the weight hit his back. Thankfully Len had strong arms and the door had a strong archway so he was able to hold himself up as she slumped onto his back before quickly regaining consciousness and hiding shyly behind him. "Hey! What was that all about?" He glared back at her but by then she'd already covered her face with his shirt's back so he frowned and returned his attention back to the strange man. "Who are you?"

"Sir Ciaran Sionnach, Ch-"

"Keeran? What kind of name is Keer-" Len's interruption was quickly interrupted by a smack on the head by Rin.

"Ciaran Sionnach, spelt C-I-A-R-A-N S-I-O-"

"Yes, yes, get on with it." The formal reply was once again interrupted by an annoyed Len who was once again smacked on the head by Rin.

"Well, _I _think it's a beautiful name, Ciaran." She smiled shyly up at the man, still hiding behind the flinching Len.

"Thank you, miss." Briefly bowing his head to Rin, he once again returned his attention to an irritated Len. "Sir Ciaran Sionnach, Child of the Queen, at your service. I have a message to you from her majesty."

"Woah woah woah, hold up a second. What do you mean by Child of the Queen? The detective guy from earlier mentioned it and honestly I can't really see the queen sending her kids off to do all sorts of random work, especially in a small town like this." Hands on hips, Len puffed his chest out and glared at the man; refusing to act until his questions were answered.

Unfazed, the masked man replied in the same formal tone. "'Children of the Queen', the phrase defines anyone who works directly for her majesty or the law. This applies to people such as the police, soldiers, guards and," placing his right hand on his heart, "generals." He bowed deeply, signifying he was from the latter category.

Satisfied with the answer but unsure of what to do next, Len replied in a harsh tone, "So?" He didn't like this man. He'd never seen Rin act this shy and flustered and despite the calmness of the man and how he made no response to the rudeness, he gave off a superior vibe which worried Len.

"Her majesty has sent a message to you." In Ciaran's milky gloved hand lay a playing card. It had no number; instead there was a strange, colourful figure in a twisted position. A huge grin took up the face and strange clothes danced around the body with small bell balls bordering the shape.

"The joker?" Len asked, bemused.

"You mean the trump card?" Rin clarified, jumping up to see over his shoulder. His hair brushed her cheek as he nodded yes.

"But what are we supposed to do with a card? Does it mean something? And how does the Queen even know of u-" Len's questions trailed off as his eyes widened in surprise. "Wait a second, what was it you said when you first arrived?!"

"Are you 'Alice'?" He bluntly repeated the question. "I now assume however that you are, considering the marks on both your hands."

"Hey, do you know what an Alice is? Will you tell us why people call us that?" His blonde hair shadowed his pale face, it seemed lately that all they ever did was ask questions.

"My apologies, Sir… I'm sorry I didn't catch your name,"

"Len." Was the impatient reply. Ciaran nodded and continued,

"Well my apologies Sir Len, but I personally have very little knowledge of the term 'Alice'. In fact, other than the fact I must find them and that they would have a card symbol on their hands, I know very little. But I do know something that, considering the situation, might encourage you to come to the palace." A small smile hinted at his hidden lips, his eyes gleamed knowingly.

"Oh? And what's that?" Unimpressed, Len raised his eyebrows as Rin continued to stare shyly at Ciaran.

"Her majesty the Queen is famous for her beauty and this is the Country of Clover for a reason. One significant thing that always leaves the public in curious awe is that, upon her right hand –the hand of which most gentlemen choose to kiss- there is a green, glowing clover. In fact, the clover is very much like that on the back of this card."

**XXX**

**Woo! Thank you for reading this chapter! Longer than the last two but still…**

**You know what I'd really love? If you tell me particularly what you like and dislike. In all honestly, you probably aren't gonna get much say in the story. But maybe there's a particular scene you liked or a description that made it feel as if you were there yourself. Maybe there's a part you think could've used more detail (though honestly when I do change little pieces in previous chapters, it doesn't usually reach the online work and probably won't for this site).**

**But what about the characters? I really am curious. Anyone you really like(d)? Dislike(d)? Minor or major, it could be anyone. Eg, Meiko's big sis, the Bishop, the Detective –his wife and child you saw for a second?, Isabelle? Anyone, please tell me what you think!**

**But about the story… I had a hard time figuring out how to get out of this arc. I feel like it's missing something but what can I do? Kaito's personal chapter will be difficult I feel…**

**Ooh, and what do you guys think of Ciaran? I swear, coming up with character names has always been one of the hardest parts. In the end I decided this. Though whilst I'm writing this he still doesn't have a last name…. Guess I should look for that now e.e**

**-Edit: His last name is pronounced SHIN-ukh to those who were wondering!-**

**(P.S. He's the OC for the fangirls. Why not have someone beautiful, ey? Oooh, and come to think of it, fanart for the story is always encouraged :O (Yes I know the song has fanart but if you end up drawing one of the OCs or how you picture the characters in the story…) it would be amazing 3 )**


	7. Not There

A small town, deep into the countryside; it was a village unknown to all but the inhabitants. Considering it was so far out from the kingdom's central area, it was indeed rather hard to stumble across by accident, that is, unless a traveller was heading out of the country in that direction. But this dashing man was not heading out of the country; he'd simply slipped through a blue door and found himself in a magnificent meadow. Lost and confused he headed for the nearest sign of civilization in site, which just so happened to be the town that was just described. As he strode along, enjoying the sunshine and the birds' cries, he found himself humming.

Pausing, he looked down at his mouth and brought his hand to the base of his neck, "La, la, la," each sound was a note higher. "La, la, la," each sound was a note lower. Smiling he thought to himself, _what a pretty sound_. Giddy, he began to hum and sing, mixing the sounds and exploring the tones; creating a nameless song, all for himself.

Singing and humming all the while, before he realized it he had entered the town's gate and was surrounded by the morning rush. Except no one was moving. Every face around had stopped to stare at this bewildered newcomer, his hums slowly drifted off as he looked around in confusion.

"Please sir," A young girl came up and tugged on his trousers, "Don't stop." Her eyes glazed up at him in admiration as her jaw sat dropped in awe. Looking up again the man saw many heads bobbing and more children pushing forwards in the crowd to see for themselves.

Adjusting the dark blue scarf that sat on his shoulders, he glanced nervously once more at the adults before ducking to a crouch, facing the child.

"A child I see,  
>Mud covered with messy hair,<br>But a girl you must be,  
>To have a face so fair,"<p>

Smiling, his song started simple, the girl's little face of awe quickly turned to one that adored. The crowd grew thicker but all kept their distance, only the children broke the code of etiquette for a stranger by coming closer and pulling on the ends of his scarf in hope of some attention. However upon the song's end and throughout the song's life, the villagers were silent. Grins smothered the children's faces and smiles of admiration and awe covered the adults'. When he finished, Kaito looked around timidly. And soon enough, a few seconds of cliff-hanging silence later, the crowd jumped to an uproar. Screaming and cheering, clapping and calling, the younger of the adults ran forwards first, bombarding him with compliments and questions.

"That was amazing!"

"Where are you from?"

"What's your name?"

"Are you staying here long?"

"You should, I have an open inn if you're looking for somewhere to spend the night!"

"You must be parched, why don't you come to my café? On the house, just for you!"

"How old are you?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"_I_ could be your girlfriend!"

"Be polite! Don't smother the man!"

"What happened to one at a time?! Hey, come here sweety, I'll give you some freshly baked bread."

"I turn 5 tomorrow, will you sing at my party?"

The endless inquiries quite overwhelmed the man who yelled for a stop and decided to introduce himself, answering as many of the questions as he'd caught hold of.

Kaito, 25 years old and he didn't know how long he'd be staying here but yes he'd love to visit the café for a cup of tea and he couldn't quite remember where he was from but yes his sea blue hair was natural and yes it did indeed suit his sapphire-like eyes and that those are big words for an 8 year old. He mentioned how he couldn't really remember much before the meadow and would he be able to find some work somewhere? He thanked people for their offers of free stays and food and promised he'd make it up to them but they said as long as he sang they'd be happy to help so that's how he ended up living in this beautiful, tiny, unknown town which never got any visitors.

Kaito soon brought a house for himself, making a living by singing in the town square or at cafés or bars. A few months into his happy life, he was one of them. It was as if he'd been born there, he knew everyone and parents doted on how he would often play with the children outside. Then a man came to the village. He was chubby and well dressed with a brown beard.

"I'm looking for somewhere to stay for the night, if you don't mind." He asked a detective at the police station. The younger man looked up from his sketching and brushed his hair away from his face.

"Ah, of course, there's only one inn in town but strangers seem to find our roads complicated so I'll take you myself." Getting up, the man reached for his hat and opened the door for the traveller.

"Oh, thank you! You know, I'm coming from a country south of here. Hoping to set up some trades with a company in the kingdom's central, ya know? Big company I got back home." His pot-belly shook with laughter. The detective smiled and let the man continue, it was fun hearing stories from another land. Transport was scarce in this area so no one really left the town any further than their fields. A melodic voice reached their ears as they approached the town's square. "What _is_ this beautiful noise?"

"Ah, that would be Kaito, Sir. He's famous here. Came out of nowhere, a few months back. Been living here ever since. It's a beautiful thing to have his voice filling our village." Smiling proudly, they turned the corner to the opening and sure enough, eyes closed, hand clutching the paper of a newly written song, his arm stretched out as he sang to the sky. His words echoed in the watchers' hearts. A bumpy clay cup sat by his feet, a gift made by the potter's daughter.

"This man… He lives here? I've never heard a voice quite like it." The cheery talkative man was speechless throughout the piece. When it ended, Kaito's hand dropped to his stomach and he bowed deeply, thanking those who stepped forwards to throw coins into his colourful cup. "And here I thought I knew music." Striding up to the white coated singer, the stranger took his hand firmly in his and shook hard. "You, sir, have the most wonderful voice I've ever heard. And that song just now, did you write it?" Slightly surprised, Kaito smiled and shook back.

"Yes, it's new. And thank you so much, I really appreciate it! You must be passing through I suppose?" Glancing at the detective, a new idea struck, "Heading over to the Old Man's huh?"

"O-Old…?" The man stuttered unsurely.

"Ahh, he means the inn! The Old Man is just what we call him. I get the feeling you'd get along with him, sir." The detective quickly interrupted, reassuring the newcomer.

"Ah, enough with the 'sir', my friends call me Andy. What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't! Jack, at your service, sir! I mean, Andy! Andrew? Could I call you Andrew?"

"Yes, yes." Andrew laughed jollily. "Andrew! You sure are nice around here, it's a shame you guys don't seem to get many tourists, being so far out."

"Well yes, it'd mean a lot of money for us but barely anyone comes near here…" Shaking his head, Jack turned to Kaito, "I'm sorry but we should be going, the Old Man'll be ecstatic to have someone rent a room. Other than the bar, he's had no customers since you!" The Old Man was a tall, rounded fellow with a consistently ginormous grin and a scratchy stubble Jack swore upon his clean chin never to have. He was just as talkative as Andrew so they both knew it'd be a happy service between the two older men.

XXX

Sure enough, Andrew soon went on his way and within a week there were suddenly visitors from all around.

Some, explorers wanting to see the beautiful, quiet scenery –new land. Others coming to try the delicious cheesecake and shortbreads at the café. More wishing to drink the town-special tea; cinnamon and apple. But all had been lured by the promise of those… and of a beautiful voice with nothing like it.

Apparently there was a huge article in the central's top newspaper of Andrew complimenting the small town and saying how wonderful his stay was. The townsfolk were forever grateful, though guilty that they hadn't realized just how high up he'd been and that they couldn't thank him in person. Kaito's wealth grew and the sudden spring of tourists inspired him to start travelling himself, something he never regretted. The aqua haired singer loved to sing and loved interesting things. He loved seeing strange farms, busy cities and -once even- the royal palace. Whenever he'd travel, he'd sing a new song, try the local food, but most importantly, no matter where he went, he always brought home new clothes. Beautiful, exquisite, hand-made and cheap or factory created and way over a peasant's yearly salary, it didn't matter what. He loved the clothes. However one thing that always perplexed the townsfolk of his home and the locals from his travels was that, every top he brought, every shoe he chose, every glove he plucked and every hat he grabbed, every single piece of clothing he brought outside his village was female. It wasn't that he'd wear them. Oh no, he'd never wear them. He packed them deep inside boxes under his cupboards at home. He himself had many beautiful clothes sewn by the local seamstress which for loyalty's sake he happily paid over her normal wages.

For no matter where he travelled, he'd always return to the town he started at. He felt like they were family so how could he ever abandon them? He even had a sort of 'pet', one of the stray cats had taken a liking to him and so rumour had it, she'd wait on the fountain's edge near his house whenever he was away. The villagers could always tell when he was coming back as there would be a chocolate tabby cat trotting down the street and sitting by the gate. Her timing was incredible.

"She really is adorable though!" A lady around Kaito's age laughed as she told him stories of Isabelle. "She's always been a friendly thing but it's amazing how taken she is with you." She said, smiling softly at the cat purring in the man's arms.

"It's nice to have someone waiting just for me though." Kaito pointed out. "Unlike you, I haven't got Jack waiting for me to come home after a hard day's work. He may massage your shoulders but he'd never offer me that." The two laughed until a girl slightly younger than them approached nervously, her lace gloved fingers fiddled quietly with each other.

"Ah, I'll be going then?" Smiling knowingly at the girl, the lady raised her eyebrows at Kaito and with a swirl, she went on her way.

"Take care!" He called after her, later muttering to the girl besides him, "I really can't believe she's pregnant."

"It's the early stages…" The girl whispered, staring at the pink ribbon on her dress.

"Yeah, I know." Turning towards the girl he asked, "Did you want something, Sophia?"

"It's just that…" Her soft start became more hurried as she spoke, "I'm sorry, I know it's kind of a taboo subject in the village but… I mean, I know you can't remember anything but, you see, it's just that… It's just that you're always buying girl clothes and I know you don't have a girlfriend in the village and well," _crack_ "I know you're not obviously married because you don't have a ring but it's just that," _crack_ "it's just that… Well, they're always in the same size, which is strange when from what most can tell there's no one particular for you but…" _crack_ "Is there?" _crack _"Is there someone you loved before?" _crack _" Is there someone you were with before coming here?" _crack _"Please tell me! It's just that, it's just that…" _crack. _Suddenly the girl froze and her eyes widened, "I-I'm sorry, I…" In front of her was an empty shell. His body: standing but limp, his eyes dark and empty, soft tears falling down his cheeks. "I'm sorry…" Her voice broke as she whispered, "I'm so sorry!" Wailing, Sophia ran off in tears.

XXX

"How dare she. How dare she. How dare she, how dare she, how dare she!" The first line was quiet, the second was despised, the rest ran faster and louder until the final was a screech and a crash.

Shocked awake, Kaito found himself surrounded by mist with a voice and no source. "Wh-what?" His croak was barely audible. Suddenly, the image of a gleeful face framed by short green hair sprung to mind but it faded away before he could catch it.

"Ah, no, no." Softening his voice, Akumu began to hum. "Shh, shh. It's fine. There's nothing to worry about. Forget it. Forget she ever said anything. Nothing happened, it's fine, Alice."

XXX

But a month later and it wasn't fine. Something was there and yet it wasn't. Something was missing and yet it wasn't. Why wasn't it missing? Why couldn't he remember? Why? Why? _Why?! I just want to know why…_ His thoughts were clouded with darkness as Kaito quietly cried himself to sleep once more, just like every other night since. His confusion, his loss of what he couldn't remember, the fact it wasn't there… All of it was slowly turning him insane. He could still smile to the villagers, still travel and sing. He could still do all of that but his new songs were dark, his smiles were empty but believable, his voice was the only real truth. So he sung and he sung. He sung his songs of loss, he sung his songs of death, he sung his songs of illness, he sung his songs of madness, he sung his songs of broken dreams, he sung his songs of unrequited love, he sung his songs of fear, he sung his songs of war, he sung his songs of murder, massacre, more. Yet most importantly, he sung his songs with tears; his mournful voice was what truly reached the audience.

By now the town had gained enough money to create a statue of Kaito, a man they all respected and loved. The stone was carved and placed in town square, where Kaito would most often sing for them. But with recent months…

A smile snuck out from behind his lips as a rounded woman wobbled over to the gate, "You really didn't have to come greet me you know." He moved his arm to swing his new bag of clothes over his shoulder and hold it in place, the blue diamond on his left hand had been glowing brighter recently.

"Of course I did, we're friends aren't we?! And I need some fresh air every now and again; Jack never lets me out any more." She huffed and puffed, panting as she stopped in front of Kaito.

"I'm not surprised, in your condition! I probably wouldn't either! Do you know if it'll be a girl or a boy?" He asked eagerly, to which the lady shook her head in dismissal, her brown hair sticking to her sweaty face.

"Of course not! I mean, I can if I want but I don't want! Jack's another matter though, he's jumping all over the place in excitement, ask him if you want. His lips are sealed in front of me though." Regaining her composure, she stood up straight. "Now how about we go for some tea and you tell me about where you went this time. It's been a while since we chatted."

A gaggle of old ladies stood by the bakery as they watched the two friends walk off.

"I'm glad he's smiling again. He's away so much lately."

"Yeah but you know how it is, he'll be heading off again soon."

"Smiles for now but distance by tomorrow. He'll give us toys and souvenirs, ask how the week's been… But by tomorrow he'll be itching to go out again."

"It's a shame really. Such a nice lad." The ladies gossiped, shaking their heads in worry.

"I really wish he'd stay a little this time. She's having the baby soon, I'm sure she wants him there. Good friends are those two. Jack's such a sweetheart to be happy with that."

"Most young men out there get jealous from the bat of an eye! It's really quite tiresome to watch."

"But she's faithful and he knows it. They'd make a nice set, if Kaito got a wife."

"I can just picture the four of them having tea together, eating tarts and biscuits!"

"Truly adorable!" They giggled.

XXX

In a distant land, far from the once quiet town, chaos was starting to wreak havoc.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked quietly. "Tell me, why are you doing this?" The sorrowful voice whispered out from the mist.

"I'm not doing anything." The blue figure replied bluntly, "I'm singing. Singing! Hahaha! I'm singing!" His pitch changed and he laughed cruelly, "Eh… Why is that such a funny idea? I really can't…" Brows furrowed in concentration, "I can't… What can't I do? But I'm singing! And they love it! They follow me! I'll make a world all of my own! Where they only-" But the gleeful one-track mind was interrupted.

"But you're Alice! You can do whatever you want so why… Is this really what you want?" Despair was apparent as the voice attempted in vain to change the mad man's mind.

"This is what I want! A world of madness! A world of terror!" His face was twisted in a cruel smile. "I want a world of horror! Because that's what it is without… Without…" The mist faded as the man broke down in tears once more.

"_**Without what?!**_" He cried, petrified.

XXX

"Such a beautiful baby she has…" He whispered to himself in the darkness of his living room. "The prettiest baby I've ever seen. I wish I had a baby. I wish I had her." His eyes widened with sudden realization. "Her." He repeated the word, "Her." Once more to be sure it was indeed "Her." He knew what he lost, he knew what wasn't there. _Of course. It was her. She isn't here though. She's what I've been longing for._

"No, no! Forget her! She's not here! Make that world you wanted! One of horror and chaos! You said you wanted it! But if not, I'll give you one off happiness! One of ignorance and pleasure! So please, please… Please just don't do this!" But the desperate pleas were wasted on the laughing man as he grabbed a gun from the shelf.

"I am 'Alice', right? I can make whatever I want in this world, right?" He grinned, cross eyed, as he loaded the gun.

"Yes! Yes! So don't do this! Don't! Please!" The invisible child begged in horror.

"I am 'Alice' of this world" The man laughed maniacally. Eyes crossed, gun to his head. A blue diamond marked his hand. Red blood then stained aqua hair.

XXX

Darkness engulfed him. A red spade glowed nearby. The young voice sounded closer than ever as a cold hand caressed his face.

"You're not Alice. You're not Alice, no matter what I say. But you can stay here, because I'm kind. You can stay here and watch as I search for the true _**'Alice'**_."

**XXX**

**Well that's the longest chapter so far. Yes, you will be getting his back story but I decided to end it here for now. For a few days I've been stuck on what to write, thinking and thinking, 'What is his past?' But today I just started writing and all of a sudden ideas started attacking me from every angle! I now know his past and I now have this chapter!**

**The song he was humming/singing in the meadow was a slight reference to Nameless Song (by Len but I prefer VIP Tenchou's cover) and then the song he sings in the village was original.**

**Please review! It really means a lot and I love knowing what you think of the story/characters!**

**(Even if you've already reviewed, I like to keep updated!)**

**Thank you for reading!**


	8. Picture-Perfect

"I love you, you know." Foreheads touching, she had a silly, childish grin on her face, but it couldn't hide the worry in her eyes.

"I know." Smiling softly, the man embraced her sweet scent and the feel of her emerald hair stroking his pale face. "I love you too."

"I know." She pushed her head forwards slightly and kissed him gently, stroking his dark blue hair to behind his ear.

Those were the last words he ever said.

XXX

A short way off from what locals had nicknamed The Golden Lake –for when the sun shone high it really did shimmer like something from a fairy-tale– there was a beautiful white house, standing alone on the grass. A long pebble path lead to the shore and another, shorter one, headed in the opposite direction, towards the main road. The house was only just outside of the village, the couple wished they were further out but precautions were necessary and it was dangerous to be too far from the hospital. Inside the luxurious little house, the windows were wide to overlook the lake and open up to the balcony, the walls were covered with beautiful paintings of all sorts (for the lady of the house was a creative woman and loved to paint), a grand piano sat in the sunlight in the living room, shining, without a speck of dust.

It was only ever the two of them in that house, apart from when the doctors came. They had no maids, no chefs; no butlers. They had no children although they had spoken dreamily of them a few times. On that particular morning, the smell of pancakes wafted up the spiral stairs and into a room with its door open ajar. It was the master bedroom. Despite the sun having rose a few hours ago and his wife being busy downstairs preparing his favourite breakfast, there was still a man (propped up by pillows) sitting in bed. He smiled faintly at the smell.

_She didn't have to…_ Sometimes, when she's busy, the wife would forget completely that she had to prepare breakfast (having awoken at some untimely point in the night, she'd rush out of the room to jot down the ideas before they fled her mind and, from that point onwards, would paint late throughout the day unless called away by a worrisome noise). Sometimes, that was fine. He'd be able to get up and walk downstairs himself, grabbing a simple bowl of cereal before moving to play the piano. But sometimes, he'd be left hungry in bed. Knowing there was a reason she wasn't there and that she was probably deep in concentration with the work she loved, he despised ringing the bell. But when it got to the point where he felt like fainting then he forced his hand to move up to the bedside table and pick it up if he had the strength or push it off the surface if he didn't. If he didn't ring the bell and she suddenly realized later that he still had no food then she'd blame herself and cry and scold him for not ringing and then cry more from the guilt of forgetting. He never wanted her to cry, never. So he'd ring the bell.

But this morning was special.

"Happy birthday, Kaito!" The door swung open and the lady waltzed in with a steaming tray of tea, pancakes, butter and syrup. Placing the tray on his bedside table temporarily, she leaned over to give him a kiss and started to sing the traditional song as she found his bed tray and pulled a grand chair over from by the window. Kaito's smile grew as he slowly attempted to reach out his hand for hers. "Oh no, no, no. No moving! Not today!" Her tone changed as his face fell in sorrow, "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I know you hate it on your weak days but just be thankful you aren't coughing blood up or worse." She stroked his hair gently with one hand and held his skinny palm with the other. "Tomorrow, if you're feeling better, we'll have a party! A ball! I'll dress up specially! You know, I made a dress just for your birthday. I made you something too. But we'll wait until a strong day before we dance, okay?" She smiled reassuringly at him before letting go of his hand and starting to cut up his pancakes. Gazing dreamily at her, he opened his mouth "Ahh," as she put it, and chewed slowly on the pancakes. Closing his eyes for a few seconds, he glanced back at her. She grinned, that meant he liked it.

Kaito had always been weak, from a young age. Easily prone to illnesses and usually bedridden; some days were always worse than others. But he wasn't always mute. There were times he was too weak to speak but one day his illness escalated and, combined with a certain shock from a car accident, he became mute. Of course, from then on they both learned sign language but when one's hands are busy or he was too weak to move them, they had to create little signs of their own.

He opened his mouth a little and shut it, repeating the motion a second time, he looked at her expectantly. It was almost as if he were a chick asking for food from his mother, but that motion didn't mean food. Clearing her throat, the woman opened her mouth wide and sung.

"Talilah-rilatta-lah;  
>"I've fallen in love,<br>"Yes, fallen in love with a blind man,  
>"But my right eye,<br>"Shall be yours,  
>"So the worlds we two see,<br>"Can become as one…"

For some reason, this was a song she sung often. Kaito figured it showed how she'd do anything for him, though in truth he never heard the whole song. Some lines she only sung when alone. But he didn't know that. By now he'd gained enough energy to muster a gleeful smile, his fingers flexed on the bed sheet and she placed her thin hand in his. He was always amazed in the difference of their hands; they seemed to lock together perfectly, like one was the other's key. But where he considered her hands miniscule and adorable, he knew full well his hands were skinnier, paler and his skin much more tender than most. It was a thought that depressed him but his love was singing so everything was well. Everything was always well with her around.

She was his one constant ray of sunshine in his dark life of loneliness.

XXX

Leaning on the banister, Kaito closed his eyes to listen to his wife's beautiful voice as it echoed throughout the house.

"Talilah-rilatta-lah;  
>"He is deaf as well,<br>"And so he cannot hear my lovely voice.  
>"But that's no issue;<br>"Take my left,  
>"Have my left ear<br>"To hear the beautiful music…"

_It is the most beautiful, my love. How I wish I could sing with you…_ Gently he placed his fingers to his neck; _if only._

"My, my! Look at you!" She purred as her husband came down the stairs wearily. "Feeling better then?"

"Much." He signed. "Now if I remember correctly, you promised a party?" He grinned playfully as she jumped from her stool.

"Yes! Ooh, yes, yes, yes!" She exclaimed, skipping in a circle whilst fist pumping the air in excitement. "You can go to my sewing room now, it's hung up there! Wait for me at the bottom of the stairs!"

"Okay," his fingers curled. Turning, he went to find the room and if he didn't know his wife, he'd have been amazed.

Trotting up the stairs, her face fell as she saw him heading to the door, his back to her.

"And I shall sing along," She whispered to herself.

Hanging a couple meters from the door was a dark black suit, freshly ironed and neatly sewn. The inside was a light turquoise fabric, silk. The touch was nearly as soft as his love's skin; he smiled shyly at the thought.

Pulling the door wide open to her dressing room, she saw a beautiful array of clothes, it was as if an expensive rainbow had come and asked to stay the night, sleeping gently in the room. "As if blind," She dropped the light green summer dress she'd been wearing to the floor. Her plush curves caught the stream of sunlight from a tiny window high above her head.

Tucking in the crisp white shirt, he pulled the jacket on and strung the tie around his neck, swiftly tying the dark ocean blue into a neat knot. He creased the silver collar around it and headed back for the door.

Stepping into the large, puffy skirt, she pulled her arms through the thin sleeves and adjusted herself to fit the concrete shake. "Of my love for you," Although her emerald hair was mostly chin length, she had two longer strands at the front and pulled them out from under the fabric, wrapping a dark green cat-collar necklace around her throat.

He arrived at the bottom of the stairs and, as predicted, she had yet to arrive. _She's probably having trouble with some extravagant gown to please me. She always dresses over the top in hopes of that… It's a shame she can't realize I find her beautiful no matter what. Even with bed head and a half asleep face asking me the time and getting cross as I don't answer…_ He laughed quietly to himself… _I'd answer if I could._

She quickly redid her make-up, lengthening her dark lashes and reddening her pink lips. She slipped her feet into kitten heels with the next line, "Not daring to ruin that smile of yours…" wiped her face of shame and smiled joyfully.

Pain filled his face until he heard the trot of heels come skipping across from upstairs. _She's here!_ His eyes caught hers from either end of the staircase. Her wide skirt, dropping past her ankles, was a forest green while her corset-like top was more like a jungle. The top ended in a straight line just above her chest until it stretched out on either side and started again from the very tips of her shoulders, the fabric squeezed her all the way down to her hands where it ended in a triangle shape, pointing to her fingers.

"You look beautiful." He smiled. It really was just a party for two. They avoided large groups as it often meant they'd become separated and it was a disaster if anything suddenly happened to Kaito with so many people around, it was hard getting him away and even harder dealing with the worried visitors.

"Thank you, you do too. I'm glad I chose the right colours." Her smile was charming, as if it cast a spell upon him. But that was fine. They each cast spells upon the other; gazing dotingly into each other's eyes.

"Shall we walk?" Holding his arm out to her, she flew down the stairs, pausing just before contact to lessen the force, and hugged him tight. Instead of simply taking his hand or arm, she wound herself around him as they headed for the back door, towards the lake. His arm lay across her shoulder, not wanting to ever let go. He stroked the bare skin of her shoulders and signed with his other hand, "Sing?"

Blinking slowly in acceptance, her voice rang out soft but proud,

"Talilah-rilatta-lah;  
>"Firmly shall I embrace you,<br>"Easing your slender body.  
>"Never shall I part from you,<br>"Let me kiss you just right," And at this point she paused and turned her head, kissing him tenderly. Pulling back, her eyes locked with his, she finished the verse,  
>"Until your mind is at rest…" Pulling on his hand, she sang and they danced. Her songs changed and changed and changed, never singing one twice. They danced as the sun hit its peak, they danced as the wind blew in tune, they danced as the fire ball in the sky slowly went to bed and they danced as the playful moon came out to shine. They danced until both were exhausted. But despite being tired, sleepy and hungry, both their faces glowed with undoubtful glee.<p>

"I love you." She whispered, getting into bed. He reached his hand out to hold hers for she couldn't see him in the darkness. _I love you too_, he thought. "Happy week late birthday (party)." She laughed tiredly. _I wish he'd say it. I know he can't but… I wish he'd say it just once more._ She thought with hidden tears in her eyes. _I'm scared. If he was better, if he wasn't ill… Would he still say it?_ That night Kaito slept blissfully, dreams of his wife and their imaginary children curled into his mind. That night his wife slept in terror, nightmares of being left alone, having Kaito choose another woman, him getting mad at her… they tortured her throughout the seemingly never ending darkness, constantly waking her to a sea of cold sweat.

XXX

"Are you sure you want me?" He signed nervously.

"Of course I want you! Who else would model for me? And how else would I paint you?!" She signed back furiously.

"But you've painted me many times before…" Trailing off, Kaito started to fidget with the stool he was sitting on.

"Yes, when you're sleeping and when I draw you from memory. But just once I want to capture the real you. The beautiful, amazing, real… you." The last word she spoke with a sigh, smiling dreamily at him when an idea struck, "I'll sing~?" She bribed. Shaking his head in defeat he replied,

"Fine. I just have to stay still, right?" She nodded yes and so he sat up straight to which she frowned and told him to sit naturally. And once again, for him, she began to sing her favourite song.

"Talilah-rilatta-lah;  
>"You being so darling,<br>"I can't help but be fascinated by your figure.  
>"A perfect beauty,<br>"An immortal beauty,  
>"And it's all yours-<br>"It's almost loathsome…" Throughout the song, throughout the other songs, she kept a constant, concentrated gaze; drifting between him and the canvas her paint brush caressed and tickled. Her voice was the only sound apart from the whistling birds outside. One would think he'd get bored just sitting there for hours but as usual, he was entranced. His eyes never left her, whether they watched her hands, her eyes, her legs as they shuffled or her back as it arched, leaning forwards; it didn't matter. To him she was an eternal diamond. One he never wanted to lose sight of. However she did end up blushing and shuffling more from the constant watch.

"Thank you." Smiling, she lay down the paintbrush and stood up to stretch. Following her example, Kaito stretched his arms down to his toes before approaching to see the painting.

"It's amazing." He signed, mystified and awed. In return his wife blushed and grinned, pecking his cheek before twirling away and calling back that she was going to start dinner now.

XXX

Sirens screamed and blinding flashes filled the night's horror.

"Please, someone, help him!" Out by the road, at the end of a short pebble path, was a terrified woman with messy green hair and loose yellow pyjamas, little suns danced across the fabric. "He's inside! He stopped breathing! Please, just help him! Someone help him!" She screeched, thick tears keeping a heavy stream down her pasty cheeks as she watched doctors rush towards the house. _Someone save him…_ Her inward cry was the last before the blood rushed from her head and she fell to the floor.

XXX

Moans filled the ambulance as she sobbed, huddled into a ball and rocking.

"My husband… My husbaaaand… Why? Why? Whyyy?!" her hoarse throat cried out as she rocked and rocked. "Why won't you put me with him? Why won't you let me see him? My husband… I want my husband!" The uncontrollable waterfall continued to fall.

"I'm sorry, miss. The doctors need an ambulance for themselves, they can't afford any distractions. You're not doing too well yourself though, miss. You fainted on the street, are you sure you don't want any more water?" The worried nurse offered her a bottle which she grabbed ferociously and chugged down.

"But he's my husband!" She wailed, "I want to see him! Let me see him! Please!" Eventually her words muddled to an indistinguishable monologue. The nurse frowned, his face contorted in pity. They had the best doctors around and Kaito was a well-known patient to all. But they all knew it'd only get worse.

XXX

"They say you're deaf." She signed silently to the bony man lying in a white bed. The white covers went up to his shoulders (his arms lay on top, barely visible, as pale as they were) and a white pillow lay under his blue hair. The room was white. _I hate it_. She could barely see him for all the light reflecting to her misty eyes. A small smile formed on the man's cracked lips as he closed his eyes for a few seconds before looking back at his quiet wife. He forced his middle and ring finger down whilst keeping the others up.

"I love you."

Hurriedly wiping her tears, she forced a smile and signed it back.

"I love you too."

Smiling, Kaito blinked gently once more to her before falling asleep.

XXX

"Miss, I'm sorry but I must insist you take some time out. You've-" But the nurse was cut off as the woman sharply replied;

"Ma'am."

"I'm sorry?" He asked, confused.

"I'm a married woman. You'll refer to me as Ma'am." She stated.

"Yes. Sorry, Ma'am. But I must insist you leave the room, at least for a moment, for your sake. No, no, I'm not forcing you or anything!" He hurriedly explained himself as she glared up at him. Her face fell to one of worry, "Please don't mi-Ma'am. I'm not saying we need to examine him privately or anything, there's nothing wrong with him." The nurse immediately realized his mistake as she bit her lip and refused to look at him. "I'm sorry." Bowing briefly, he continued. "It's just that you've been in this room for 3 weeks. Not leaving even once. You use the patient bathroom and eat his meal, which I thank you for not wasting food considering he only has the strength to eat a little, which you feed him, but otherwise his energy comes from drips. It's just that it's not healthy for you. To stay cooped up in here…" The woman must have realized the sensibility in his request for once he excused himself from the room, she stood up from Kaito's bedside and walked onto the small balcony.

_It's nowhere near as nice as ours. _She thought, observing the small garden far below. She opened her mouth and for the first time in weeks, began to sing. The song was cracked and her salty tears slipped into her open mouth but even so, those with windows open ajar nearby pulled them open all the way; hoping to hear clearly the woeful melody.

"My heart  
>"Has been thrown<br>"Into such disarray;  
>"That smile of yours is poison…"<p>

XXX

Months passed and still the couple never left the hospital, not once. No matter what, Kaito would always wake up to a cheery and talkative woman, sitting on a chair right at his bedside. Whilst he was sleeping, she'd sew and paint.

"I feel bad for you always staying here next to me. You must get so bored…"

"Nonsense!" She'd replied, a chill tickled her spine. _He doesn't want me here…_

"If you insist on staying though then bring in some stuff. I'd love to watch you paint. Maybe you could even make some new clothes for yourself?" He smiled, proud of the idea. But even so, his wife never left the building. She managed to persuade one of the nurses to bring her stuff in exchange for her making something for him. He'd happily agreed and would sometimes stay after Kaito's check-up to watch with him.

So she'd spend the long time when Kaito napped sewing and painting. She slept rarely but was always smiling for him. When he woke up she'd kiss him and ask if he had any dreams. She'd show him what she painted and describe what was going through her head when she was doing each part or what inspired her. She'd twirl around and give a little fashion show for him as she played in her newly made dresses. Throughout the entire time she was smiling.

One night, Kaito awoke from a nightmare and asked her to pick him up.

"Why?" Her question mimicked her perplexed face. "You're too weak to stand."

"I want to dance with you. I want you to sing to me." His weak smile was filled with pure bliss at the imagined idea, "Even if I can't move much, even if I can't hear your voice, I can still smell your soap, still feel you creamy skin. Please, dance with me?" His head tipped ever so slightly in hope. He brought his middle and ring finger down and held his others up straight, "I love you."

What else could she do? Gently clearing her throat, her voice came out strong and beautiful as he read her lips, remembering the oh-so-familiar lines.

"Talilah-rilatta-lah;" Her hand pushed his hair away as she leaned forwards to kiss his forehead.  
>"Let us dance under the moon," She softly pulled back the white covers to expose his pyjama bottoms.<br>"Even if your legs are poor." Putting one arm around his body, firmly holding onto his ribcage, she used her other hand to push his legs off the bed.  
>"I'll support you," She nearly fell under his weight but pulled her other arm up to support him.<br>"So don't you fear;" She could feel the bones of his legs against hers, the fact he was so skinny terrified her, it was as if he'd waste away, fade into thin air, if she didn't keep him close.  
>"I'll take care of you, just see…" She sung into the dip between his collar bone and neck. Her warm breath tickled his thin skin. Closing his eyes, the exhausted patient buried his face into his love's hair.<p>

_I love you._ He thought. _No matter what, I love you more than anything. I wish I could tell you properly. I wish I could hear that last line. I can't see your lips but if I remember correctly, 'you'll take care of me, just see'…_

XXX

Insomnia had taken a turn for the worst and the few times she could get to sleep, she awoke with a start from nightmares of waking to a cold Kaito. Every time she went to him and checked, just in case.

"I'm sorry, but you really have to take some time out. I know you go to the balcony every now and then and I know you paint and sew here but… You need some time out of the hospital, that's your medicine." The nurse's eyebrows gathered in worry as he examined the girl's empty eyes and the dark bags beneath them. "I'm sorry but I'm telling you as an employee at this hospital, you have to leave. I'm not saying for long. Just… go on a walk or something, okay?" Stumbling to a stand, the girl took one last glance back at her sleeping husband and left the room. The nurse sighed in relief. _I'll make sure to bring some cakes in next time_; he made a mental note of the idea and smiled.

"Ah ah." She squeaked. "Ah ah." _My feet hurt._ Bending over, she pulled off the black flats she'd been wearing. _Squish, squish_. The wet grass fell under her weight as she wobbled towards the road. She'd sworn never to ride in any form of transport other than an ambulance when Kaito went mute. She'd sworn he never would either; they'd be happy family of two in their happy little house. 'We can walk to the store, it's not too far! Sure, it might take a while longer but it'll help keep us fit!' She'd exclaimed when he got home. But that was a distant memory now…

"Talilah-rilatta-lah;" A voice muttered inside her head.

Arriving at the house, she washed her feet in the sink and dropped her shoes by the door. Wavering up the stairs, she headed to her painting room.

"Trapped in the frame," for there she saw the last thing she'd painted at home; her husband.

"His expression remains unchanging." _That smile._ For the first time in months, she smiled from the heart. _He claimed to love my voice but now… now… he can never hear it again. _Her eyes widened in terror, her pupils shrunk in shock.

"But I will try," She went to the dressing room and dropped her new orange dress. Pulling out a sleek gown, she scratched at her face with sharp nails in the sink; washing off her make-up. Her flowery bra was changed to crow-like silk, her underwear switched to match. Pushing her arms up, she let the dress fall into place. A coal fabric that highlighted her curved figure.

"However many times it takes," She pushed the large glass door open and immediately felt the cool autumn breeze play with her hair, tickling her collar bones. Countless images of Kaito's smiles (before and after he became mute then deaf) filled her mind as a single tear fell away from her thick dark lashes. She placed a shivering hand on the rail of the balcony as she glanced at the distant water. _Maybe, if I become one with The Golden Lake…_

"To court the man in that painting…" Standing on the thin rail's edge, she spread her arms out wide and fell forwards, head-first; the grass below just seemed so welcoming. Her eyes closed slowly in acceptance as her hair whipped the air. _Maybe then I'd be of some use to him…_

_I love you._

__XXX

'The second Alice was a man of the Diamond,

He tamely sung a song in Wonderland,

To fill it with all kinds of sound,

And produced a crazy world.

That Alice had Rose Flowers,

And a cross-eyed man shot at him.

He became bright red as the crimson rose in bloom,

And everyone loved him as he died.'

**XXX**

**Okay, I know I said the last chapter was long but… This is the newest longest chapter... I just got so caught up in it!**

**The song throughout the chapter is **_**not**_** an original piece (though I wish it was). The song is called Cattleya and is sung by Megpoid Gumi. I… I really love this chapter. Writing it was heart-breaking but beautiful as I knew how it'd end before I even began.**

**Please review! Tell me what you think of the story so far/the side stories I created and the characters:)**

shop/pocketsushi?page=3


	9. Trifolium Garden

Frozen in shock, the two twins stared up at the masked man standing in their doorway.

"A… A clover?" Rin stuttered.

"Yes." He replied simply, his emerald eye narrowed smugly.

"It… glows?" Staring down in amazement, Len wiggled his fingers and studied the faint illumination on his left hand.

"Yes." Ciaran replied. "Now if you don't mind, it's a long journey to the Kingdom from here and it'd be best not to keep her waiting. She can be rather… _impatient_." His mask seemed to hide more than he was saying but as he turned and walked away, the twins glanced at each other before hopping down the steps to follow him.

XXX

"Hey, you're like, a high up official or something, aren't you?" Len probed.

"Yes. A Queen's Child is the term I believe you're looking for. But yes, even within them I am of a higher rank." He replied, not looking back at the children following.

"So, tell me again… Why are we walking to the castle?" By now the town was far behind them and the fields carried on past the horizon. The twins were exhausted and the sun was setting, mist had begun to swirl around them as the clouds above turned grey.

"Exercise is good for you, Alice." The black tail of his jacket flew gently in the rising wind.

"Stop referring to us as Alice!" Rin stropped. Her frustration had finally allowed her to come to her senses and she stopped gushing over him a while back as the weight of her legs grew heavier and heavier. "We're two separate people!"

Panting, "And how far is it anyway?" Len continued to conversation.

"Far."

"Ahh, just tell us how far far is!" Growling, Rin stomped her feet and glared at him. "If you don't then we'll just sit here and not go anywhere!" And with that, she plopped to the ground and sat cross-legged. Len turned and sighed down at her; she had good reason to be upset and his mind was too sleepy to argue properly. Luckily though, Ciaran decided to stop instead of completely ignoring her and carry on so Len didn't have to bother choosing who to stay with. However, he didn't turn around. Lowering his head, he muttered back to them,

"Just until the door, please. Just walk with me until the door." There was a pause as Rin looked down at her feet guilty, something about his voice made her feel sorrow. Suddenly his head snapped up as lights began to appear from the mist infront. "This way, Alice." And with that he strode forwards, towards the light. Rin's anger ceased as Len looked on in curiosity. Pulling her to her feet, he jogged forwards to just behind the general as they walked nervously, hand in hand.

"A village?!" The gasp was whispered.

"But there was nothing in sight before?!" The confusion turned to questions as they bugged the older man for an explanation. But he stayed silent, never halting in his stride through the roads; never looking to the side. He reached out his hand and (pushing Len off) grabbed Rin's right hand, making sure to cover the half-heart with his palm. Gripping tightly, he did the same with Len's left hand on the other side.

"Don't look at them." He spoke under his breath. Faded townsfolk had begun to appear, all looking out at the walking trio. The mist made it hard to see their facial expressions but the twins were too perplexed by the sudden people to listen to their guide. The clouds above parted ever so slightly, letting a sliver of moonlight slip through. Len gasped as wherever the moonlight hit, that part of the person's body suddenly turned to bone whilst the rest looked like flesh in the dim light. Every house hit by the small stream of natural light seemed to be rusting and old, falling apart with nothing inside; as if the town were a thousand years old and abandoned.

"No! Don't! Please!"

"Akumu?!" Rin's eyes shot upwards as she heard a call in the distance. Ciaran sharply hushed her quiet,

"Don't make any noises." He hadn't seemed to hear the invisible cry.

"Stop it!" Suddenly a large face appeared in front of Rin's face, pushing closer with twisted eyes and a sharp grin.

"Let me sing to you?" It breathed as she fell back in shock with a squeak.

"Rin!" But she'd let go of his hand… Within the second, every villager was closer; they were surrounded by a meter radius of blank faces.

"Wh-What is this?!" Her eyes wide as she freaked out on the floor she'd fallen to. "Ah!" Crying out, she winced and looked down at her right hand. The half heart was shining brighter than the sun as she withered in pain, groaning as she clutched at her wrist. Len winced as the grip on his own half heart was tightened, reddening his hand.

Moaning, small droplets of blood sprung from where her nails pierced the skin as she was holding too tight. Her whole body was twitching and her eyes squeezed shut as the clouds finally parted, letting the moon light through completely. To Len's horror every single villager turned to a standing skeleton, their skulls warped to an unnatural grin and their town in ruins behind them.

"Cover it!" Ciaran yelled at Rin, "Cover the heart, Rin, now!" The shock of not being called Alice brought her eyes to snap open as she forced her left hand to move towards the boiling source.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Akumu's voice cried out from next to her as the mist thickened and the trio watched as the skeletons began to struggle as it pushed them back. A path opened before them, they saw the sunken floor and a few meters away was a dark green door. "I'm sorry!" The voice called from where the skeleton's outstretched arms began to crack and fall apart. Taking the lead, the twins grabbed Ciaran and tugged until he fell in after them, through the closing portal.

XXX

"Excuse me, Sir Sionnach. May I ask what you're doing?" Sprawled out on the pavement just outside a huge city, the three rubbed their injured heads and looked up at the man standing over them. "I'm sorry; it's just that I heard you were going on an important mission so I wondered why you were lying in a heap here." Pushing the twins off, Ciaran pulled himself up and brushed off the dirt. Narrowing his eye, he pulled out a handkerchief and carefully cleaned his mask.

"Need I explain myself to you, of all people, Gakpoid?" His expression was of one looking down at something extremely distasteful that they were being ordered to eat.

"Heyy, come on, it's Gakupo! Don't be so cold, Ciaran." His formal façade was dropped after realizing the blonds on top of Ciaran were just children.

"We are at work and I am your superior and so you shall refer to me as such, Gakpoid." His voice was ice cold whilst talking to the co-worker. "Putting that aside, have you any idea where my lady is?"

"Ah, yeah. She's planning a feast I heard, for tomorrow. She said she wanted it for when you're back but she didn't know when it'd be. Apparently she underestimated you." Smirking, Gakupo put his hands in his pockets and slumped to a more relaxed stance.

"So the castle?" He verified.

"Yeah, the meeting room probably. Ask a maid when you get there." Ciaran nodded and turned back to look at the twins.

"Come on." He called, leaning forwards to offer a hand as they got up and followed him into the busy city.

"You know, considering your formality when talking with him, I was surprised to hear you say 'my lady'. I mean, you were referring to the Queen, right?" Len looked up at the man in curiousity.

"Yes. But I'll let you onto something; there are many levels of social ranks, even within the castle quarters. Because of this we are forced to put on many acts depending on what's suitable for the situation. While Gakupo is indeed of a lower rank than me, he is still pretty high up. (I refer to him that way now as the situation is more relaxed when simply talking to children.) Because of our ranks, we have the right to call her majesty my lady. This is applicable when in her presence and associating with someone of high rank. While he was polite as there were others with me, he dropped it assuming you were just silly little children. Whereas you being someone the Queen asked for specifically, I cannot drop the formalities when conversing with another of the Queen's Child. Though I do when just talking with you because it seems softer, more approachable. I don't hate Gakpoid, we hang out often when off duty. But that's just the way things are."

"More than that, may I ask a rather important and perplexing question?" Len's eyes surveyed the busy rush of the city, the stores and the smiths. Looking down with interest, Ciaran raised his eyebrow but nodded yes. "Why are there only men here?" Rin blinked in surprise and looked around, why hadn't she noticed before?

"Be careful." Jumping slightly, the girl glanced around. Len didn't seem to have heard the small voice of warning and mist wasn't appearing to give them any more details. _Careful?_

"What are you? A foreigner? You really don't seem to know anything about this country…" Rolling his eyes, Ciaran shook his head in frustration and massaged his temple with his left hand. "Everyone here is either a Child of The Queen or of incredible rank within their own profession. Not that I'm saying girls can't be experts," He glanced warily at the feisty girl to his right, "but only the males are invited to move in here. Also, Children of the Queen are all, with no exception, completely male. You won't be able to find another female unless you travel quite a few miles from the Kingdom's centre. That is also why, if you've noticed, so many are glancing at you, young Alice."

"Are tourists not usually allowed in here or something?" Len asked, unconvinced. He subconsciously pulled Rin closer to him; trying to prevent the gleaming eyes.

"Well, they're allowed. Just no females. The only reason they're not bombarding you with questions or shoving you out is because I'm here. Those of higher level would also know I was sent on a special mission therefore deserving the utmost respect on my successful return." Putting two fingers to his lips, he whistled as they reached a corner. A horse and carriage rode to a cease in front of them.

"Sir Sionnach." The driver said, lifting his hat and bowing.

"To the castle." Was the monotone order as the three climbed into the carriage.

After travelling for about an hour, the horse slowed to a halt and the drived jumped down to open the door for them. Now they had a closer look, they realized he was shorter than all of them despite being well-built. He had a jolly smile as he bowed repeatedly at them as they walked away, following a silent Ciaran.

"This," The general paused at the foot of a long winding path. "Is her castle."

Behind them were towers of smoke and metal, mechanics and engineers of the most skilful hands hard at work in their polluted city, but infront of them... that was something else entirely.

The path was that of silver pebbles, none larger than a newborn's fist, all a different shade of grey to create an interesting pattern. The distinct scent of caramelized sugar was a perfume trail towards the towering maroon doors, a gold clover-shaped knocker sat in the middle of them. Walking steadily along, a symphony leaked out from the surrounding gardens, niches in the leaves showed fluttering wings and shining beaks. The green grass was a canvas for the rainbow thrown messily to create a magnificent portrait of swirls and twirls, the petals sat boldly in the sunlight; embracing their deserved warmth. Unlike the rest of the city, the air wasn't humid and throat-scorching, it seemed... 'pure', like a stream of ice cold water from the very tip of a snow-topped mountain, the kind of picture you get on water bottles. The strong bronze bark had layers of lines and its cinnamon branches held up masses of jade leaves. The shade created seemed like the perfect spot to sit under for afternoon tea or even to climb up into for a cozy place to read in secret. The ash grey castle loomed over them, infinite windows placed at every floor. The sweltering sun shone fiercely above and the rooms were cast into darkness. Dressed in a black and white tailored suit, a young boy appeared at the door still a little while away. His head bowed low as the twins took in every sense around them.

Hidden in an unlit room, slender fingers gently held the curtain back, creating a gap the shadowed figure could spy through.

"My, my." The face flickered repeatedly between that of a baffled child and a distorted grimace. "What on earth have you done?"

**XXX**

**Considering I put this under Mystery/Horror I feel it's not gory enough… I mean, Meiko's arc had way more blood than Kaito's and her's was also **_**way**_** shorter than his! Maybe I should have had his wife kill herself more… darkly? What do you guys think? More blood? (This idea spawned the skeleton town by the way.**

**Anyway, thank you for reading! And I hope you enjoyed this chapter:) Sorry for it taking a while, busy in the real world e.e**


	10. One Different, Indifferent

"Welcome back, Sir Sionnach." The young boy bowed deeply by the door, he couldn't have been any older than the twins. His respect was bluntly ignored though as Ciaran strode past him, Rin smiled nervously and dipped her head, Len frowned and questioned their leader's motives.

"His status requires no reply from me. He's an apprentice for a butler, he demands indifference from all not responsible for him." was the swift reply. Calling out a name, an older man strode in. His hair was neatly combed back and his crystal eyes were framed by thin black glasses.

"Master Ciaran." He bowed his head. His voice was deep and powerful, his body seemed young but his face showed the wrinkles of long-learnt wisdom. "Welcome back."

"Thank you." Nodding gently towards the head butler, he turned his attention to the spiralling stairs infront of them. "And my lady?" His inquisition was soon answered as they heard the rapid tapping of feet above, like fresh rain on glass windows.

The next word came from a soft pink mouth with a girlish tone as a young woman flew down the stairs missing all she could. "Ciaran!" The word was stretched out, an elasticated name with the spring of being let go and the force of the caller's body before it returned to its normal size. Wrapping her bare arms around his neck, she twisted his black hair around her thin fingers; playing with the silky thread. "Oh how I missed you." She murmured into his neck.

To the surprise of the twins, the general replied by wrapping his leg around hers, quietly pulling her closer. He raised his left hand to cup her face so their noses touched. "Miku." -A one word spell that caused a tender kiss before he let go of her. "This," Turning to the twins he gestured at the girl clinging lovingly to his arm, "Is her majesty, the queen. Our precious lady, Miku Hatsune."

Stepping away slightly, Miku reached out her right arm. Her palm faced the floor, as if she were expecting a kiss on the hand, but it was nothing so simple. "Or as you may realize," she smiled sweetly, focusing both her speech and actions only to Len, "Alice." A green clover was engraved onto the back of her hand, her mint painted nails accessorized and highlighted the curved pattern glaring up at them.

"So it's true…" The words escaped their mouths before they could stop them. The twins stared in hypnotised curiosity until Miku took her hand away and returned to Ciaran's arm.

"But my lady…" The head butler coughed to bring attention and looked doubtingly at the girl's attire. "That is no way to dress to meet your guests." The girl had her turquoise hair wrapped into a high bun; a few strands had escaped and stuck out like small snakes peeking out from the grass. Her finger nails were freshly painted and her toes were done to match. But from what the small audience could see, she only appeared to be wearing an incredibly fluffy, cream dressing gown. The sleeves were loose and large so they could hide her hands if wished or pull them up towards her shoulders if she got too hot. The neckline was folded as if a thick white tail curled around it; a collar with another tail thin as a ribbon to tie around her waist. It was as if she were wearing an enlarged blowfish the colour of milk. That is, if blowfish had fur like a pedigree persian. Yet despite being so large and fluffy, it cut off mid-thigh and clearly showed her recently moisturised legs.

"Ahh, but Papa! I was just in sports, you know that!" Of course, he wasn't really her father but he was an older and well-respected man throughout the household. With his position of head, he often acted like a parent or babysitter. In a way, he was her guardian. That's why she named him properly. However she was the only one to call him such a name. Turning back to Ciaran, she drew swirls on his arm with her finger tips, "You see, I was just so excited that you came back. I just had a bath and then I saw you, how could I not run to greet you!?" Her pouts were full of a childish stubbornness way too young for the age she appeared to be. "But if you insist, I'll go change. Tell Tim there's a change of plans, the feast's today." And with that, she turned her back to the men and Rin and waltzed up the stairs again. Tim, unfortunately, was the poor soul in charge of the rushed celebrations.

XXX

"This really is quite the party." The twins sat slumped in their plush chairs at the head of the main table. The Queen was off dancing with yet another man and Ciaran was chatting to Gakupo a little distance from the brightly lit party, a small stream of smoke rose from the two men. Somewhere in the mist of males, one with light blonde hair was bobbing around checking all was in order. He'd previously come over and introduced himself as Tim, he seemed only a little older than the twins and appeared quite taken with the bold Rin.

"Well the food's good," Rin dug her spoon deep into the crème caramel on the plate infront of her, "And the view's nice." She stuck her tongue out and enveloped the wobbling substance, saving the delicious taste of melted sugar to her memory.

"Yeah, this kingdom really is beautiful." Len replied, surveying the scenery past the rails of the rooftop they were on. _I was thinking of the guys but sure._ The older twin shrugged off the thought and glanced briefly up at the only other girl around.

"I just find it kinda strange…" She started, "That the Queen seems to ignore my existence completely." Her spoon hung in her mouth, supported only by the silver curve against her bottom lip. Her eyes gazed into the distance in a daydream of curiosity. Suddenly spitting the spoon onto the table, she glared at the flawless woman across the room. "It annoys me." Her growl was met by a sympathetic Len, he too had realized that Miku was ignoring Rin, yet… It didn't seem like Miku didn't like her, not quite an ignoring of spite, though obviously it wasn't that she liked her either it just seemed that towards Rin, her majesty was completely… 'Indifferent'.

XXX

The moonlit room was quiet as the flowers far below the open window swayed in the night's breeze.

"My lady," His soft voice was cut off as a finger moved to firmly place itself over his lips.

"I told you to call me Miku when we're alone." There wasn't much in the room apart from a ginormous king sized bed with sheets the colour of distant stars. On one side, with his back to the window, a man with long black hair sat on the edge with his shoulders hunched over, one green eye hidden by the shadows, one green eye hidden by a mask. A girl lay on her stomach facing him, her feet kicking lazily at a pillow as she propped her head up with her hands. Her brushed but messy hair acted as a blanket on her bare back.

"Why do you act so coldly towards the older Alice?" The line made the girl freeze. Her fingers held onto the end of a black ribbon, one she was in the mist of untying as he spoke.

"I told you, women put a bad taste in my mouth. I don't know why." As she took the final tug at the ribbon, the man's hair flew out and draped over his shoulders, no longer caged as a group behind his neck.

"Yes, I'm sorry for bringing it up, Miku." Raising his head, he turned his body to face her, the light catching on the bare bits of chest between his unbuttoned white shirt.

"It's okay." She replied, pulling herself up. Her knees acted as feet on the bed as she pushed her body towards him, towering over him, embracing him, her lips catching him. "It's okay…" She let out a slight moan as the man pushed her back towards the bed, spreading quick kisses over every inch of her body, teasing her before he'd comfort her fully. "Ciaran."

XXX

There was once a time when, in this little central in this ginormous country, women sang and danced throughout the street. The mothers, daughters, wives and sisters of the village men would play and create; they added beauty to their homes and happiness to their neighbourhoods. Of course, men could do all that too but that's not the story we're telling right now. What we're trying to say right now is…

Women used to live in central.

This is an absolute fact. One hundred percent. No doubt about it. It wasn't that long ago actually. Couldn't have been. She was quite young, you know. Indeed, pretty young. But not that young. Don't go picturing her as a young child or anything. You see the truth is, one day they found her. No one ever gave the slightest bat of an eye to the thought of her existence before then. But then they found her. And do you know what they found?

A young teenage girl clawing at her bloody head, messing up her hair in such a chaotic way it seemed like it could attack someone.

And do you know who found her? A young man in the midst of his training. At that time, his hair was short. Still pitch black and still feathers to the touch. But you wouldn't recognize him now. No wait, that's not entirely true. It was the next day that he cut his hair so short. He did it for her. Yet since that day he started to grow it again, that's why it's at such a length as we now know it. But the day he found her, his hair was long. Think "Rapunzel". That's how long his hair was. Well, not really, that might be a slight over exaggeration. But on that day that's how it seemed to her. And whatever the Queen says is true, no matter what. Whatever the Queen says is always fact, no matter what. She said so herself. On that day, this is what she saw:

A beautiful person with hair like a princess's.

How could she not mistake it for a girl? With tears blinding your eyes, anyone would have. Such blurry vision; only able to make out the colour and length with small hazy green orbs in the middle. What a pretty colour for eyes. What a gorgeous woman. She must be ever man's dreams. A woman like that, the whole town would climb over each other just for a glance, she was sure. Such an amazing woman was perfected by the imagination of a horrified teenager. Upon seeing this woman through dirty lenses, one sole emotion struck out. It clawed at the inside of her head, splitting it apart with excruciating pain. It blinded her eyes and painted the portrait of a skeleton standing in front of a broken mirror, a beige bra supported by dry skin. It lodged in her throat making it hard to breath, hard to speak.

**A small but powerful word:** _Hate_.

Now before we return to the story at hand, I'll let you in on a secret. The man who you now all know as a beauty in a mask… He didn't have a mask that day. And he most certainly never needed one more than the next.

**XXX**

**I tried out a few different writing styles/techniques in brief parts… -Inspired by a book I love and am currently re-reading.**

**Please tell me what you think! It means a lot to me!**


	11. Not Even Half an Hour

"Ahh," The Queen hung off the back of a cleanly dressed chef, her arms draped over her shoulders as she played with the buttons on his coat. "I'm huuungryy!" Her whining was met by the chef's caress as his soothing voice massaged her mind.

"I know, my lady. We're working on breakfast now." Stroking her face, his fingers meekly begged the girl still in her nightgown. With a slight grunt of acceptance that food would take longer than she wished, Miku turned her head to face him and pressed her lips firmly against his.

"I guess I'll have to live with this as a starter then." She whispered, their tongues playing tag in the early morning light. A murmur came from the living room outside, both pairs ignorant of the people in the other room.

"So as I was saying, he was-" But Rin's speech was cut off as she entered the kitchen and was surprised to find the Queen all over the head chef who'd dropped his work onto a lower rank worker. Coughing to bring attention to themselves, the twins' eyes strolled around the kitchen floor and walls.

"Ah!" Squeaking, Miku jumped off the chef (to his dismay) and smiled brightly at Len, rushing over to pull him into a tight hug. "Good morning, Alice!" Her gleeful cry accompanied the gasp of a young boy whom suddenly found his face against a large squishy chest.

"G-Good morning, your majesty!" Were the muffled words he managed to squeeze out.

"Oy! Let him go!" Blushing furiously, Rin grabbed her brother's arm and yanked him away from the older woman. "Have you no shame?!" Her disbelieving stare showed the indecency she believed the act to be. For the first time since they arrived in central, Miku's eyes rested on Rin. A tall girl with spaghetti straps holding up a thin white top paired with matching shorts barely covering her bum. Despite having just got out of bed, she already wore snow white kitten heels which accented her strong legs and curvy body. A short girl with messy blonde bed hair in oversized boys' pyjamas, the navy fabric was prominent against her skin. Their eyes had met and each stood in silence, life-sized statues in the kitchen.

Finally, a murderous voice so quiet it sent chills throughout the room, spoke. "I don't remember ever asking your opinion." The Queen had lost all signs of a cutsey wutsey little girl. A small audience had gathered, "I don't remember ever even accepting your existence." The voice spat solidly at the feet of the little traveller girl.

"Don't be like this." A soft and unexpected plead. Around the room, the chefs, Papa, Ciaran, a couple butlers, a maid and Len all stood mute as they watched the two-character play unfold infront of them yet none reacted to the latest words. "Please don't be like this." Only two bodies showed any signs of having heard the words.

The first body: That of prideful royalty; frozen in shocked terror with wide eyes and dilute pupils.  
>The second body: Petite and surprised but by now, not scared. More shocked by the reaction of her opponent than the unexpected appearance of Akumu.<p>

"Rin?" A man with bouncy light hair appeared at the doorway, staring in confusion at the view steps away from the chaos of hell.

Gritting her teeth, her whole body shook as Miku spoke aloud, directing the speech to no one in particular. "I'll do whatever I want." Her growls struck daggers through Akumu's heart. "I'll do whatever I want and you don't have any control over me you cowardly bastard!" Her screech aimed at the air above her.

"My lady!" Though Tim still didn't fully understand the situation, he could tell as much that Rin was in danger and jumped infront of her.

"Ah?" Glancing down in confusion, the Queen furrowed her eyebrows and watched the two with a perplexed expression.

"Please don't do this." His voice resonated with an unseen strength. Even the stoic Ciaran was amazed that such sound could come from such a usually childish man.

"Even him…" Her face fell and sorrow swum through her body. "Why? Why? Why? Why do they all ask… All protect… All chase… Why you?" Eyes scrunched, teeth crushing against each other, the clover Alice fought an internal war against an unknown enemy.

"Run. Rin, run! Go away! Please, fast! Don't let her… Not this time… I don't want another too…" The small voice screamed and begged at the shocked girl. She didn't fully understand what was happening, questions flooded her mind but she spun. She turned and fled the room. Sprinting until her legs grew heavy, losing herself in this never-ending maze of a mansion, she shut herself in a cupboard deep in a storage room.

"I don't get it…" She whispered to herself. _What's happening?_ For the first time in a while, panic flooded her veins. The voice was real, the danger it saw that had yet to happen was real. The voice knew and wanted to stop it, it wanted to protect her. That much she understood seemed real. But why did she have to run? Why then and not before? Why didn't Len react to Akumu's cries? Would the others be okay? Why would Tim, a loyal follower of her majesty, risk his place to protect her? And finally, one thing she didn't understand from the moment she realized it in the slums of central… Why are there no girls?

Back in the kitchen, a lost girl was unfolding. Weakening. Murdering. Fearing. Hating. Regretting. Dreaming. Remembering. Remembering.

"My lady..?" Ciaran had crouched down in worry and was slowly moving his hands closer to take hers from her face. "My –"

"I'm Queen, yes?" Inaudible.

"My apologies, could you repeat that once more?" His gentle fingers stroked her cheek as her emerald eyes flashed up at him.

"I am Queen, yes?" Thunder.

"Yes, my lady. Your orders are law." Hand on his heart, he kneeled in respect as she swayed to a stand. A cruel smirk found its way to her face as she laughed under her breath.

"Anything?" Giggles.

"Yes, my lady." Repetition of the monotonous three words. The general pulled himself to a stand position and awaited her orders.

"Kill her." Contorted. Smug.

_Vile._ But the small voice had little control in a world created solely to follow Alice.

**XXX**

**Ahh… Well there you have it. A slightly shorter chapter today.**

**I really should be studying.**

**Oh well! Please review! What do you guys think of what's been happening lately? Opinions on Miku? Ciaran? (You're getting to know him better now kinda.) Tim even?**

**I wonder what's going on… All these mysteries… Guess you just have to wait for the next chapter!**


	12. Forsaken Rooms

"Kill her." She was the powerful Queen of a powerful country and she wasn't about to let some scarring past ruin her new life. She loved this world. If anything, this world was her saviour. So why not make it safer?

"My lady!"

"Your majesty!"

Cries from the surrounding men.

"Actually, kill every girl in this country."

"I'm sorry miss but for one thing the women of this country our why we're still alive today, you can't bear all our children as much as any of us might wish, it-" First thing's first, stop her plans. Her Children were confused and her Children were surprised but the fastest to recover made sure to nip it in the bud. Finding the original cause was for after the decisions.

"Fine then. Shove them to the far borders. But only a few. A maximum of one thousand can live. The others? Kill them." She was calm, in control. She wasn't about to let some lowlife servant tell her what to do, as much as she did love him. Raising her voice; "Did you hear me? I said kill them, what are you waiting for!? Send the troops out now!" Her body shook with rage.

"Yes ma'am!" Rushing off, a dishwasher ran to find head of security. _I'll have to reward him later._ Smiling slyly at the thought, her head cooled down and she met Ciaran's gaze.

"As for the little girl, leave her be for now. Carry on with everyday life. Don't chase her, don't look for her. After all, we still have Alice." And with that she strolled over and pushed Len against the counter, locking her lips with his and slipping her hands up the back of his shirt. "Just, if you see her…" Pressing firmly every few centimetres to feel his muscles, her eyes glued to that of the frozen younger twin. "Kill her without hesitation. This order goes to all men in central." Her bright pink tongue trailed along his jaw. "And make sure this Alice gets the royal treatment. Don't want him mourning wastefully for his idiot sister." And with that she dropped her hands and left the room. Her footsteps pounding harder and harder the faster she sped. A step, a skip, a trot, a leap; finally she was sprinting along the infinite hallways.

_Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away!_ Panic, desperation, crawling across her skin. The cold gaze of an invisible voice constantly burning into her back. It was terrifying. _I'm scared._ Tears dropped to the floor, blown away by the resisting air. _Go away. I'm scared. _But it carried on ceaselessly. _You're scaring me! _You'd wonder how something without shape, without form, could have the eyes to look with. How it could create such an immense presence with such a pinpoint feel of eyes staring deep into your soul.

"You're scaring me…" A meek voice escaped from her dry lips as she slumped to the floor, hiding her eyes with her hands and her hands with her hair.

"Shame." A slightly sarcastic voice spoke quietly to the sobbing woman. "Despite being odd, you played such a good Alice. Just don't do anything you'll regret." _There's no way this is a child._ The voice she'd just heard was one of a condescending adult, sure it had the same accent but the tones were completely different. Akumu's aura was completely different and she felt his presence fade as he wondered down the hallway away from her. _There's no way that's a child._ She thought as she curled tightly into a ball, hugging herself as she waited for the river to stop flowing from her lashes.

XXX

"Hey… What was that?" Len's quiet voice echoed throughout the kitchen. Their Queen had just fled the room and the chefs were getting back to work. "What the heck was that?!" His voice raised in alarm.

"The Queen simply gave some orders. Just carry on with your normal actions and it'll be fine," Papa's rough voice tried to sooth the boy's worry.

"Are you high? She just gave my sister the death sentence, what the hell do you mean 'act normal'!?" His outrage masked the panic tormenting him inside. His sister, his big sister, always straight forwards and strong headed, she'd walk straight into death without a care in the world. That thick headed, stubborn little girl he'd spent his whole life with was going to die._ And you want me to just sit quietly and accept it?_ The sour taste of disgust stung his tongue as Ciaran's voice rang out.

"She said carry on normally. No one's allowed to hunt for her; it's just a matter of if you see her, shoot her. She'll be fine as long as she stays hidden." That much was obvious through the eyes of their leader. "So how good is she at hide and seek?" He asked. It suddenly seemed like the easiest, most simple question in the world. _Great._ "What was that?" and as asked, Len repeated his one word.

"Great." A grin formed, pushing his cheeks back as he regained confidence. _I can't really remember but, _"She's the best," _no one would ever see her from her hiding spot._ "Not even the trackers could find her if she didn't want to be found." He laughed, she really was the best at that. While he was best at tracking, she'd always specialized in being invisible. _She won't die._ He was sure, _she won't die in a house this big._

XXX

"Shh, shh. It's okay." Akumu whispered, gently kissing her cheek. "I know it's scary. I'll stay with you. All day, I won't leave your side." A promise from the air to a statue. "I won't leave your side."

XXX

While Central remained calm and peaceful (or as peaceful as a bustling capital city can be), the country around it was in chaos. The soldiers were moving, the internal war had started. Towns looked like slaughter sheds and the women were slowly moving further away from the capital. They were fleeing; fleeing from the emotionless soldiers, escaping their blank -almost bored- faces. The roads were packed, either of marching guns or carts full of mothers and children. The towns closest to Central had liquid carpets trailing throughout their roads, unrolling specially for the Queen's murderous Children. Each time they entered a city, a radio was placed on the floor and Miku's girlish voice deafened the cries of torture and loss.

"Hello everyone! It's your Queen speaking! Yes, the ever so famous Miku Hatsune! You know, I love this country. I really do. I love everyone in this country, more than you could imagine, which is why I'm placing a special offer in Central for all the tourists; discounts galore!" As her little advertisement carried on and eventually went to the explanation of what was happening, her childish tone mixed with the sweetness of her bribery stood out like neon in a world of grey as her henchmen slowly dug their swords deep into the flesh of their sisters and wives.

Somewhere far from Central, incredibly far -yet surprisingly possibly one of the towns escapees forgot existed when they searched for a haven- was a small, small village.

"Jack…" A fragile hand was shaking in fear, reaching out, grasping for its partner. "Jack, what do we do?" The lady, not even in her thirties, held a bundle of cloth tightly to her chest. In the darkness, a bony man clumsily reached out to take ahold of the woman and bundle. Hauntingly, the only sound was a constant cry coming from a trembling bundle of cloth, wrapped tightly to a girl's chest. A baby by the name of Kaira, not even one month old. 'The name makes me feel warm inside.' The mother had smiled, 'It makes me think of something I can't quite remember. Something beautiful.' There were no smiles now.

The army was advancing. Fast.

XXX

The West Wing of the castle was rarely used. The Queen lived in the centre area and the servants slept either in the East or North Wings when not sharing her room. The West Wing was rather empty, kind of like a spare room. Or rather, quite a few spare corridors. Storage ended up as its main use. Yet there was one… unofficial use it had. Her majesty had long since forgotten its existence and only those who used it actively tended to remember the hallway leading into it wasn't just part of the wall. Considering all this, in a sense it was a "hidden hallway", an invisible corridor, perfect for hiding.

And hiding it was used for. A tall man with long, polished charcoal hair and a pure white mask roamed the wing alone. His mind had wandered to a memory of when a traveller with a heavenly voice had come to sing at the castle, he had blue hair and _come to think of it, didn't he have a funny shape on his left hand?_ But the idea soon drifted off as he hummed one of the melodies.

"Achoo!" the muffled sneeze was brief but high and unfortunately timed precisely as the young general passed a corner leading to a rapid dead end. He paused and waited. "A-Achoo! Mpf!" The second noise sounded like someone clamping their hands over their mouth and nose, muting the sound of a sneeze. After a pause, the general went back to humming, loudly at first but then got quieter and quieter as if moving away while really standing completely still. A few minutes later and his trick proved to not be in vain.

"Ah..." A sigh of relief. "He's gone. What? Yes, yes, I'll be quiet for a second but what?" The whispers came from a door at the end of the small corridor leading off. A girl's voice talking back to something he couldn't here. Suddenly there was a gasp followed by silence. Chuckling, the man wandered down the short length and stopped to knock thrice on the door. With no reply, he repeated the action and called out.

"Is anyone there?" His voice was hushed and soft but there was no reply. "I guess if no one's there then no one will mind me coming in." And with that he opened the door and flicked on the light switch. The room was small and stuffed with cupboards and wardrobes and bookshelves empty of books creating a wooden maze. Lazily he walked up and down each lane, browsing the mysterious objects overflowing from the shelves.

"I forgot about this room. When I was younger, this was my favourite room. So many places to hide, don't you think?" His voice was low, inaudible from outside the room but just right for the musky forgotten objects in it. "I wonder when it was I stopped coming to this room. When it was that I'd go deeper... Though this is pretty deep. Rather far from the other wings." Long, slender fingers trailed gently, catching the grey dust and cleaning the surface in a smooth line. "It's just as I remember it though. Quiet. Secluded. Distant. Comforting. Crowded yet empty. Always empty apart from me." And with that he crouched down and opened two cupboard doors. Huddled in a ball with her knees tied to her chest was a small blonde girl, crying noiselessly in fear. "Just like it is now." He smiled softly and offered a hand to her. "I'm not going to hurt you." He whispered. She seemed to look at something to the side, as if asking for confirmation before turning her head back to him and reaching out to take his hand. Gradually he brought her closer and her small feet appeared out on the ground. "I'm not going to hurt you." Were his reassuring words. "I promise. I'm not going to hurt you."

**XXX**

**It's been a while… But I figured you'd rather have a new chapter now than wait for a longer one! I feel it'll be a few weeks at least again for the next chapter…  
>Please review! Thank you for reading, Cherry-chan xxx<strong>


	13. Teatime

"Akumu..." The soft whisper was unreturned. The small girl gently pulled her knees closer to her chest and buried her face again.

She'd been found. Found by a high-status general. A general who goes by the name of Ciaran Sionnach. Someone extremely close to the queen and well trusted among the guards yet that someone held out his hand and held her close for comfort. He stroked her head and calmed her, promising to help. Yet that saviour had disappeared and she was all alone in the darkness of the cupboard, unknowing of the time or date and too terrified to dare even nudge at the small door.

_Akumu... _But he didn't reply. He too had vanished in the midst of her childish tears.

XXX

The young general strolled into the kitchen and found a silver tray. He whistled and soon a small boy came running up.

"Good afternoon, Sir Sionnach." His green eyes were so dark you could barely tell the colour but he was an honest boy and above all, incredibly loyal to Sionnach alone.

"I wish for you to make some tea and gather treats, if you will, Silas."

"Certainly, sir." And with that he went straight to the kettle before moving on to collect a small arrangement of cakes and biscuits. "Will this do?" He asked over the whistle from the steam. Ciaran smiled softly and nodded, thinking of the little girl who'd quite happily stuff her face and indulge in the sweets when they arrived.

"Thank you. Also, prepare two cups. And you know how I like to disappear at times, yes?" The last question was an unsaid order. It meant 'Don't tell anyone where I am, act as if you have no idea if they ask and if possible, avoid having people go towards me.' The young boy knew this well and confirmed the fact he understood before setting the pot of tea on the tray and taking it in his hands. With this, the general turned heels and walked calmly out through the corridors. Turning into the West Wing didn't surprise the boy too much, he knew this was where Ciaran most liked to be alone but he did wonder about the two cups. Surely coming here meant he wasn't going to have tea with her majesty, so who else? For he was most convinced he was out of the possibilities for having afternoon tea with.

Eventually, after taking many turns and passing forks, they came to a stop outside a grand door to their left. Aware that his trainee had his hands full, Ciaran reached over and opened the door for him, allowing the youngest through first. A word of thanks before the general gestured to a polished table by the window. It was a rather spectacular little room. Bookcases lined every inch of the walls, books stacked tightly inside without the slightest of spaces. The only gap between the shelves was the door but the wallpaper didn't even appear above it as shelves had been built into the wall. Facing the door was one ginormous window. Crystal clear to look through and the view was fitting for the room. Three floors up meant they could oversee the majority of the garden on their side of the house and it was magnificent.

A willow wept silently nearby, its leaves gently brushing the glass when the wind blew. The grim tree grieved at the undeniable fate of a young girl hiding in a cupboard just next door to the room where a man watched it faithfully.

"You can leave." Pause. "Thank you, Silas." The small boy nodded without a word and turned to leave, closing the door carefully behind him. Relaxing as he walked down the empty corridor, he pulled his hand through his hair, scratching his head.

"You know, I'd never question you, but sometimes I wonder what goes through that head of yours." A voice unheard, spoken from pale lips as he shook his head and turned the corner.

Ciaran stood silently, observing the growing trees and fresh leaves. When he believed the tea had cooled enough and that his follower was long out of sight, he spun and headed straight for the door. Quickly he slipped into a nearby door and his hushed voice rang out.

"Rin?" A surprised squeak met his call and he wound himself around the maze of dusty wood and crouched down at a claret cabinet. "Rin?" Careful, so as not to scare the timid kitten inside, he pulled on the black knobs and lifted the small one up. He cradled her, for she had yet again been left alone in the darkness with a price on her head. "Come on." He tenderly smoother her hair down on the back of her neck and carried her to the other room.

"Have some tea." It was a subtle order as he set her down in her seat, facing the large window. "And take your choice of snacks." Pulling out a chair for himself as he poured the sweet liquid into her cup. Rin sat with hunched shoulders, leaning forwards on her hands which sat in a W shape on the chair between her skinny legs. Her fringe shaded her face as Ciaran watched her cautiously. "Have some tea." His voice was still quiet but this time the order was stronger. She winced slightly and reached forwards to pick up the steaming cup. Her other hand immediately grabbed the china as she pulled it under her chin and let the heat warm her palms and face. A small smile peeked from his lips as the girl let out a satisfied sigh.

"We've pulled the war to a stop for now." His voice caused her to glance up through her hair. Despite hiding behind the teacup, she kept eye contact as he went on to explain how some of her majesty's most precious men had gone to persuade her and persisted until she agreed for a temporary cease in fire. "It was really dangerous, you know. One wrong word and she could have gone into a fit and beheaded him." He laughed and shook his head at the Queen's silly antics before moving on to tell her stories of the Servant's Quarters and all their favourite gossip.

Teatime carried on far longer than it should have but Ciaran would continue to weave short stories of the castle's behind-the-scenes until Rin had reached a point of relaxation beyond what he hoped to have achieved that day. She'd wrapped her arms around her legs as she rested her cheek on her knee and gazed up at him contentedly. A soft smile played on her pink lips. Her ears were pricked to the smooth sound of his voice filling the room.

The plates were empty of even crumbs and the tea was long gone from its pot. The sun began to set between the veil like leaves of the weeping willow as Ciaran finally decided he'd be missed by now and it was time to return to the centre of the castle.

XXX

"Hey," a voice like honey whispered into the darkness. Turquoise claws dug into the red-violet sheets as the cat towered over her toy. "You've been gone so often recently." Her sugary whine coupled with a lonely pout caused the toy to be overwhelmed with desire as it rushed from its pitiful stance of lying meekly beneath her to clutching the back of her head, her sleek hair like a blanket on his fingers. His lips pressed ferociously to hers as he lay a hand on her lower back and pulled her closer.

"It kinda makes me lonely." She pulled her head up, causing him to be left nuzzling her neck. "What exactly have you been doing as you disappeared?" Frozen, hung from a silver thread, he felt the knife at his throat, the words slowly piercing the skin under his neck. Her empty eyes, ice conflicting with the burning heat vibrating from her fingertips and scolding his bare chest.

His eyes half closed as they examined hers. _When did she start making a face like this?_ The thought wandered vaguely through his head. _It kind of reminds me of..._

XXX

It had become a weekly routine that Rin would spend her time sleeping cramped up in the cupboard with Akumu occasionally visiting to tell stories of what he'd witnessed in the castle. Silas would bring a tray of one pot of tea, two teacups and saucers along with a variety of small plates with cake on them everyday to the same room at 3PM. Ciaran wouldn't come every day, not even every other day and Silas would always return to retrieve the tray at 6pm, either finding both cups used or one cup used and always a different number of plates empty.

Rin tended to wait for her caretaker in the cupboard but after a while she'd get bored and stiff and climb out to stretch and peek into the other room for food. Knowing that someone would return to take the tray, she never stayed long. She'd occasionally read for a while in the sunlight but Ciaran had warned her six o'clock was the time to be hidden safe and quiet. Considering her head was still on the line with the orders of "shoot first, ask later", she decided to obey this simple request.

Despite the clockwork life of the two younger ones, despite how they always had the same thing in mind between three and six PM, they still let their minds wander.

_How come I'll see him working all day, not even glancing in the Wing's direction, and yet still return and find a cup used? Who does he meet? I've lingered by the Wing's entrance and not a soul stepped through yet still it's gone. What's so special about that room? Why such pinpoint times? What happens there? Does the Queen know of this? Does anyone other than me, him and whomever he meets, know of this? Who do I know who has a strong sweet tooth? It can't be Kamui, he's gone on trips for weeks at a time and still the food's gone. Even when Ciaran goes away he orders for food to be sent. Is there anything special about that room? About the time? Or did it just happen to be that way? Is he keeping something from me? He knows he doesn't have to... It must be something big. Or maybe he thinks I'm not bothered? I'm always quiet when working after all... And this is work. But what happens there from 3 to 6? What happens after that? What happens before I bring the tray? Does anything happen?_

_Who brings the trays so loyally? Why is Ciaran helping me so much? What would the Queen do if she found out? What would anyone do if they found out? Why have I made a cupboard my home? How long have I been here? Where does Akumu disappear off to? Though I guess he can't be here all the time... What's there to eat today? Will Ciaran arrive? What does the tray bringer think of this? Does he realize what's happening? Does he have an idea? Is it a he? No wait, stupid question, everyone in this town is male apart from Miku and I. Why did she suddenly explode? Why doesn't she like me? Is it me in particular or is there something else? What was that noise? Is someone coming? What time is it? I wish I had a gun. Wait, what? How come Akumu's not here yet? How many Alice's are there? The red girl was scary but at least she went away fast. More shock than anything I guess. When will this end? When can I get home? When will the food come? Will they find me when my stomach growls this loudly? What am I supposed to do all day? How can I escape?_

_What about Len?_

Whilst all these thoughts swirled and multiplied inside the small minds of Silas and Rin, the one man whom knew all the answers was completely ignorant to the unspoken questions. It was all very simple in his mind. He was showing the most dominant part of his soul, a side shown significantly not for the first time.

XXX

"Aah." He let out an exhausted sigh and slumped into the cream sofa. He pulled a hand through his short ruffled hair and gazed at the drizzle outside. Every drop caught on the narrow leaves and fell down the thin vein like teardrops. _You can tell it's not named for nothing... _His pity reached out to the nearby tree, separated only by the thick glass wall. Feeling light-headed, he decided to rest a while longer. One hand woven on top of his head with his thick black feathery hair, the other resting gently on his empty stomach. He'd only just closed his eyes, listening to the rain's lullaby when there was a sudden click at the door.

Dark eyes shot open and his muscles stiffened. Ciaran was out shopping with her Majesty. Could this finally be the day he finds out? But won't he be in enormous trouble? It is meant to be a secret after all...

Back to the door, he heard it creak open, only enough to fit a head inside. There was a pause. Finally the rush of air indicated it had been opened fully before quickly being shut again. Click. A chair's feet scraped against the floor as Silas focussed on keeping his breathing steady. No matter what, he had to stay calm.

"Oh shut up! I'm starving!" An aggravated voice covered the sound of pouring tea. _Wait, what?_ "It's fine. Ciaran'll be here soon enough." _I'm sure I only heard one pair of footsteps._ "If that's the case then more time to read!" _And that laughter sounds incredibly..._ "Shopping? Ah, I wish I could go shopping." _Right now, isn't Ciaran...?_ "Not even for pretty clothes, just for something more practicable whilst hiding!" _You shouldn't speak with your mouth full... _"Eh?" Silence. _What happened?_ Suddenly a small figure appeared on the other side of the room, dressed in loose black clothes far too big for the wearer. _He hasn't noticed me..._ A pale arm reached out to the glass, the figure seemed almost hypnotized by the rain. _Those clothes... Not a uniform. They actually look a lot like brother's underwear..._ A melancholy sigh released itself from the blonde's lips. His arm fell and he began to trail his fingers gently as he walked across the room, eyes always kept on the garden outside. _Did we have another young trainee? One my age that's blonde? His hair..._ Tied in a short ponytail, _It looks beautiful._ "Akumu... Len is...?" But the question was cut off as the servant jumped to a stand.

"Girl?!" His yelp shocked both of them and the girl spun round to face him. There was only a meter or so between them as she'd reached the glass right in front of his spot on the sofa. He saw her eyes widen in confusion, not quite having taken in the situation. Her hair was golden and a couple of strands had fallen to framing her cute face. A midnight t-shirt hung diagonally, showing her shoulder bare apart from one navy strap that disappeared beneath it. Elastic in the waistband was the only thing holding up the navy boxers with small black swirls that reached down just above her knees. Her feet were hidden in thick fluffy socks and her calves were covered by matchy fluffy legwarmers. She looked gaunt but otherwise reasonably well-fed with more fat than muscle, presumably from being fed so much cake every day. He saw the cogs in her head were beginning to spin and her shock turned to an aggressive fear. "Then you must be..."

XXX

"Mmm! Mmm-mmM! AHH!" Groans and wails were heard coming from inside the dust-covered wood. The small girl squished inside was hungry and stressed, lack of energy made her angry. "This is what I get for not eating yesterday!" She regretted the decision to be healthy and eat only a thick carrot cake with scrumptious cheese frosting the day before. "I wish I had a sandwich..." She let out a small wail as her imagination roamed to a puffy homemade bun, buttered lightly with thick slabs of ham inside. She felt the cool taste of apple juice moisturising her throat and the squish of an orange slice as she plopped it in her mouth. Her stomach let out a cruel howl and she pressed her shoulder hard against the door and rolled out like an egg. "Food." She wailed under her breath. "Foooood." Was her grumble but she collapsed on the grey floor.

Awaking a while later, she crawled to the door and pulled herself up, hanging on the handle to swing it open with her. She tiptoed through the corridor and heard the door creak as she peeked curiously inside. No one.

"Alice, it's too early! You shouldn't have come!" Akumu's voice echoed through the empty room.

"Oh shut up! I'm starving!" She was long past her point of reasonability and had little patience for his warning as she picked up the teapot and smiled as she recognized the erbs.

"I don't think you should be here... Ciaran's not here yet. You should've waited for him." It was stuttering with a nervous worry, Rin imagined he'd be wringing his hands if she could see him.

"It's fine. Ciaran'll be here soon enough." She sighed and shook her head. _I wonder if he will come today..._

"And what if he doesn't come?!" The voice was starting to freak out and Rin laughed at his caution. She was giddy with having come out of the cupboard again.

"If that's the case then more time to read!"

"He's shopping. He went shopping with her majesty." The words 'her majesty' lingered in the young girls mind as she calmly sipped her tea.

"Shopping? Ah, I wish I could go shopping." _It's been so long since I went shopping._ The last time she remembered anything similar was when they discovered Kaito's house and found new outfits. But then she spotted a cream filled eclair and greedily stuffed it in her mouth. "Not even for pretty clothes, just for something more practicable whilst hiding!" There was what she found a comfortable silence as she kissed the cream clean of her fingers.

"The rain..." The voice sounded so lonely. Almost heart-broken.

"Eh?" She paused, confused and surprised.

"It's raining again." He sounded empty and Rin felt herself melt into another world as she floated to the window, reaching out to touch the cool glass. "The rain here reminds me of something bad." His confession sounded like a guilty wound as the older twin listened wordlessly. Her mind trailed along a small path, skipping through different sections of her memories. She unknowingly sighed and her hand dropped to her side again. Her fingers gently stroking the glass as she moved. Her sapphire eyes had found a small red flower, disguised beneath the leaves of the willow nearby.

Following her gaze, the young voice spoke up, "It's a spider lily." _It's beautiful…_

"Akumu… Len is…?" The words had yet to even finish leaving her mouth when she was abruptly cut off.

"Girl?!" Gasping, she spun in surprise to find a boy standing only a meter away with dishevelled black hair and orb-like eyes a forest green. He was obviously a servant at the castle, with his black and white tailored suit and though loosened, his shamrock tie held the Queen's symbol right at the triangular tip. His face mirrored what she imagined hers would be but she couldn't quite understand what had just happened. Who was this? But surely… No. Whatever just happened, she was definitely falling deep into the pit of trouble.

XXX

He comes everyday at 3PM.

He's the same height as the current Alice.

Half of Alice was starved.

Half of Alice was bloated.

Half of Alice decided to look for food despite my warning.

He sat quietly when she arrived and didn't say a word.

She got mad at my warnings though I knew he was there.

It was raining.

The rain was the same as the day the 3rd Alice arrived.

A storm's brewing.

She went to see.

She seemed to like the Spider Lilies.

Such beautiful flowers they are, yet always alone.

Red blood hair and a poisonous soul.

I pity them.

He saw Alice was a girl.

Alice saw he wasn't Ciaran.

What neither saw was the loaded gun in the little servant's pocket.

XXX

A pair of red eyes gleamed in the darkness. A pair of blue eyes watched the only light in the darkness. A small TV-like screen lit-up their hollow cheeks, showing the latest episode of the only live show.

**XXX**

**Ahh. I know I've been putting it off but I started really writing yesterday and it just all appeared. I hope you appreciate the long chapter! The next might well be a lot shorter…**

**Ahh well, hope you enjoyed! Please review, it means a lot. :)**

**Thank you for reading!**

**Love, Cherry-chan. xxxxx**


	14. The Brewing Storm

A small boy with messy blonde hair stretched out like a wolf on the violet bed. His mouth stretched open in a yawn, showing his shining fangs. Recently, he'd been feeling more at home. Settling, if you will, in Miku's kingdom. The initial shock of his sister's disappearance and death sentence had faded. He worried constantly but knew she'd be safe. He wasn't sure why but he could feel it in his gut.

He'd been living a pretty stable life: wake up; have breakfast; wonder around the castle, occasionally making conversation with the driver, Dominique. Then he'd take a leisurely walk through the garden and explore a new section of the city. He'd become friends with a blacksmith's son and enjoyed hearing stories of the nearby city, Thistle.

"Thistle's amazing. They have these black iron gates to keep out danger surrounding the entire city. Mum used to be a soldier, apparently. Before her majesty the Queen was crowned. I know, right, it's hard to believe! But apparently girls used to live here in the Capitol too. Apparently women would work as soldiers." Little Tom always had dirt on his face and loved the filth of the Capitol. He revelled in the stench and relished at the smoke-filled sky. The bustling crowd made him giddy and the possibility of snatching a jingling purse sent a thrill through his blood. They'd wander near the edge of town and Little Tom would delight in pointing out who scammed their customers and who was rumoured of illegal activity. Dominique was the civil one. Little Tom was the wild one.

"What's" A pause in the yell for a loud yawn, "for breakfast?" As the small blonde boy swaggered to the kitchen door, a tall man with blonde hair and a face that looked slightly French ushered him away.

"Beautiful, beautiful food." Was the rolling reply as Leon dragged the little Len to a wide table in the dining room. People often commented on how Leon seemed like Len's big brother. Their physical likeliness was surprising and even their names were similar. Len, who had never had a brother and was feeling lonely without Rin, wasn't eager to disagree with the idea and so the two had grown quite close.

"You shall encounter a delightful party on your tongue, just wait a little longer." And with that Leon disappeared from sight into the kitchen. _Ah. It's going to rain…_ Len gazed out the wide windows at the darkening clouds above. His simple observation failed to cease his boredom and he let out another yawn, stretching his arms high above his head.

"Ah…" His mouth slanted as he re-entered the room. "That's a shame." Leon tiredly shook his head, gently placing the plates in front of the ravenous boy. "She really doesn't like the rain."

XXX

"Hey. Hey, Ciaran." Her irked voice called out to the man. "Hey!" She grabbed him by the mask and jerked his face towards her.

"Ah… My lady?" Finally realising he'd been spoken to, the general averted his attention back to the woman he was accompanying.

"I've been calling you for the past minute and you've just ignored – STOP THAT!" She scowled, pulling his wandering eyes back to her. "Why do you keep looking at the castle? What unfinished chore is compelling you so?!"

Ciaran faltered guiltily for a moment then checked his watch for the 8th time that minute. Just as Miku began to voice her growl, the hand clicked. "It's three o'clock, my lady. Perhaps we should sit down for a snack?"

"Geez, I finally manage to get you out of the house to go shopping with me and you're completely distracted!" Lower lip stuck out in a stubborn pout as she complained. They were sitting in a small café on the outskirts of town, Miku was sucking daintily on the tip of a strawberry off her scone while her partner sat patiently waiting for his tea to cool. Meanwhile, Ciaran could only bow his head in shameful apology at her lecture; awaiting forgiveness. The sight of his emerald eye looking sorrowfully at the floor made her pause. As always, the mask distracted her and made her change topics. She couldn't bear to see him sad. "Why do you never drink coffee?"

Taken aback by the sudden topic change, "I'm sorry?"

"Coh fii." She dragged the word out; pronouncing it specifically so there was no mistaking what she'd said.

"Oh. I guess that would be because… I don't know. I suppose the taste just doesn't suit me."

"That so?" Red juice stained her lips as she bit into the strawberry. Ciaran lay his fingers gently to his cup to check the temperature. "No, seriously. Why don't you drink it?" Since trying coffee for the first time one morning, she'd fallen deeply in love with the taste and energy it gave her. The fact her most loyal companion couldn't relate to that love was incomprehensible. So much to the extent that she started to prove the positive effects of it, in the hopes of persuading him to like it. "I mean, it gives you energy! Don't you ever get tired of being polite to everyone?"

Cupping one hand to his heart, he bowed his head slightly to emphasise his immediate reply. "I'm only really polite to you, my lady."

"Oh. Are you sure?"

"The others are below me and deserve nothing of the sort, my lady." His smile left her breathless as he looked up into her eyes.

"I… I see. Well." Quickly trying to regain her composure, she thought of another reason, "But… What about bed? I mean, isn't it hard to keep up with me after a long day at work?" Her questions were rushed and she began to blush slightly.

He smiled to himself, despite her flustered voice; his was calm like the sea. "I do not need any energizers when with you, my lady. I would not dream of falling asleep in your presence, just being near you would keep me awake all night."

"I see." Face now beetroot red, the Queen decided to distract herself with attempting to eat the cream filled scone neatly. There was a pause in conversation as each occupied themselves with their own food.

"My lady," His gentle voice made her jump slightly as she glanced up at him, head still bowed over the scone; a questioning face at his call. "You have cream on your nose." He chuckled quietly as he reached over to brush it off with his fingers. "I take it you're enjoying your snack?"

Grinning at the tease, she jumped forwards to catch his finger, biting it softly as she licked the cream off. "Of course." This time it was his turn to pause for a second and smile.

If they'd been in a "normal" world, they might have looked like a couple. Teasing, laughing; flirting. However, leaning over the table in a quiet café to kiss… No one saw them as a couple. They saw a master and servant, everyone indifferent to any possible emotions between the two. Heck, if they'd been in any town other than the Capitol then they might have looked like a couple.

XXX

"Agh! Just when did it start to rain!?" They were rushing back under a frilly baby blue umbrella. Neither of them had realized the rain whilst they were in the café. Miku had her eyes squeezed shut and was holding onto her pet's sleeve, following him by the small leash she'd created so she didn't have to see. She knew he would make sure she was safe as they ran; she knew he wouldn't let her slip or run into things whilst she blindly held onto him.

XXX

"Hey," Her voice was sultry as she draped her arms around the small boy. "Why don't you come with me tonight?" Everyone knew what happened in the Queen's room. No one ever spoke of it but everybody knew. Whilst Ciaran was busy fidgeting over the fact he couldn't find Silas, Miku had decided it was about time Len got the royal treatment. Weaving her fingers into his, she gently dragged him towards her, pulling him up the grand stairway to her bedroom door.

XXX

"Why are the lights off?" The young Alice had never experienced something like this.

"Because that's how it's done." The older Alice smiled, she sat gently on his package. "You can see though, can't you? Personally I've always preferred the moonlight." She smiled as she began to softly unbutton his shirt. She wore a skimpy nightdress that barely covered the important parts of her well-endowed body. Averting his eyes, Len felt embarrassed just looking at her. "So, how are liking the Capitol so far?" She leaned over so their faces were close, her cool breath sending chills through his body.

"I guess it's nice." His response was hesitant as he blushed at her gaze.

"Well I'm about to make your opinion so much better." She smiled, pecking his lips before moving to kiss the underside of his jaw.

"She's still here." The sudden voice made her freeze. The moment's silence confused Len but the voice spoke again, "She's in this building."

"Stop it!" She could never handle that voice. That annoying, whiny, pestering, childish voice that only she could hear.

"Stop what?" The situation was starting to perplex Len. Mist began to engulf them and the Queen swore at the voice.

"She's still here." Len was ignorant to any change in scenery, "And she's gathering allies."

"Shut! Up!" Screeching, she tore at her head, scratching fiercely at her skull.

"What?! What's happening!?"

"Can't you see it? Aren't you an Alice? Can't you hear him?!" Frustration refused to allow her to keep still as she curled into a ball and rolled across the bed, yelling at Len.

"Hear…?" Suddenly the mist surrounded him; he could feel Akumu's presence. _But why? … Why couldn't I hear him before?_

"She's here!" Akumu began to laugh, he sounded like a psychopath; taking that amount of glee out of Miku's horror.

Gasping, "Rin!?" _She's safe?_ He wanted to know about her, he wanted to know is she was okay, _has she escaped?_ But there was no way he'd ask with Miku right next to him. The voluptuous queen may have just been seducing him but he'd be a fool to believe that meant she wouldn't hesitate to behead him.

"She's safe! She's alive! And she's stealing those mutts you call your own!" He sounded like the villain from a movie, tormenting the hero about his damsel in distress. But here he was; tormenting the damsel about the hero's ever growing strength. She had to get out. She wanted to escape but she couldn't find the door. She jumped off the bed and slipped, falling face first to the floor. She scrambled up and bashed into what must've been the door, the mist vanished in an instant and she ran out screaming.

"Guards! Guards!" a cluster of armed men appeared with a variety of onlookers. "Find her! That bitch, that stupid little girl, find her!" No one dared disagree with the Queen, not when she was in that mood. Striding away, her voice echoed throughout the corridor as she started her own search. "Search the castle, search the streets, the buildings, every possible place in this town must be checked! If anyone misses her, there shall be no forgiveness! Find her tonight or lose your heads!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The deep synchronized voices replied with a stiff salute as they spread out.

**XXX**

**Sorry for the lateness, I love you all, please review, it means a lot to me!**

**More to follow, Cherry-chan xxx**


	15. Coal

_My name is Silas Cole and Ciaran is my only relative.__  
><em>_But that's not even true. He saved me. Relative is a claim for him to keep me._

_Deafened by the heavy rain, I sat swamped in mud. The grungy liquid was tattooed upon my flesh and armour, I was lost._

_Abandoned by all, I had nowhere to go. No one to follow. Nothing to hold on to. I was alone._

"_Help me," I bawled. The world had glitched; my parents vanished into thin air along with our house. For some reason I was the only one left. "Please, help me," The uncontrollable sobbing fell endlessly from my mouth, like the waterfall in the garden. I was a small, rusted waterfall in a large messy garden._

_Upturned soil. Blackened grass. The world glitched once more and the swamp was tinged red. New memories began to form in my mind. I watched my parents' slaughter play through my young brain like a movie. It felt unreal. You know when you finish a book and return to the real world? How you walk around the house and slowly remember you have a cat or that you like sausages and that the characters don't really exist… It was the opposite of that._

_I had a big brother. Or was it a big sister? I can't quite remember. The details are fuzzy._

_I loved him._

_But I don't know where she went._

_A gravestone appeared before me,_

_Here lies_

_Evelyn Cole_

_Loved by all._

_Paired with the forest_

_May this bird never lose flight_

_Even in the darkest of moments_

_I think that was his name._

_Evelyn was the most wonderful sister you could ever have._

_He was tough and confident, a fearsome fighter, but at the same time soft and caring._

_I loved her._

_But I don't know where he went._

_The writing began to disintegrate; I watched solemnly as the words turned to ash and floated away in the wind._

_A flickering image appeared between us. An ephemeral cat sat calmly in front of the gravestone, staring at me. We watched each other for a while, patiently observing each other._

_She seemed calm, content. I was curious, intrigued. But we both just sat silently staring into each other's eyes. Her yellow__eyes entrancing mine, I felt myself pulled towards her yet I couldn't move an inch._

_We gazed in placid observation; she flickered in the light like a glitching hologram. I knew she wasn't one though. Her existence seemed ghost-like but certain. She mewed softly at me and I could feel the weight of her young paws on my lap as she reached up to lick my cheek before glitching once more and disappearing._

_XXX_

_Ciaran found me._

_He didn't wear the mask at that time but his green eyes were just as piercing as they are now. He knew what had happened, he understood. I couldn't even understand and I'd witnessed everything time and time again. I don't know how long I waited before he came to stand next to me, before he scooped me up and carried me home. His hair just reached his shoulders and the shiny coal-like substance made me think of fire._

_I don't know how far we travelled or how he even found me. He was a teenager at the time and had no means of travel spare his feet and legs. I lost the sense of time, cradled in his arms, I recall the sun setting and rising but all the memories blur together._

_He put me to bed and asked for my name. I couldn't answer. He left me, only coming back to spoon food into my quiet mouth. I drifted in and out of sleep, my hair warming my cheeks as he piled thicker blankets on top of me. And then one day, I woke up. My mind was clear, I could focus on the fact that the snow was blinding, I could feel the weight of wool on my body; and so I got out of bed and went looking for the stranger who saved me._

_I found him in the other room. His chin rested on his clenched fists, his hair nearly reached his elbows._

"… _Sir?" I paused, unsure of how to approach him._

_XXX_

"_You are my brother now, do you understand me, Silas?"_

"_Yes, sir." I answered. His voice was soft but deep. I could hear the kindness in his command as he instructed me on my new life. I were to be his younger brother by blood relation and would act as his underling when employed. He cut my hair, telling me,_

"_If you cannot control it, it should not be there." His hair was always neat. It was always well brushed and shone like the night's sky._

_I began to serve under him, helping out as his 'servant boy' when he had jobs._

_XXX_

"_Silas, I think we will have a proper job soon." His whisper surprised me. Ciaran did not speak often unless circumstances called for it. We had grown a mutual respect of silence throughout the months. It was just easier. We didn't often have much to talk of except our customers and we were both strong believers in not biting the hand that feeds you. I responded positively and laughed about our lack of consistent work._

"_Do you know what it will be?" I asked, smiling._

"_No." Like a candle, his flicker of warmth heated my chest._

"_I hope it's something fun." I said._

"_Yes, I hope so too. I think we will need something fun soon." Although his voice was the same as usual, I faltered at the tone. Something was off but as usual, he was lost in thought._

_XXX_

_The rain had been pounding against the glass for a while now. Our previous conversation had long been forgotten by my fickle mind. We were sitting down to carrot soup and bread when he suddenly stood up. The look he gave me lasted no longer than a second but I could tell it was important. With a swift turn, he picked up his cape and left. I watched the empty door for a while after. It was only autumn but he'd taken his winter coat._

_As was the case, I had no concept of time. I simply thought "It's been a while," as I swallowed my lumpy soup. I tended to be the one to cook dinner and Ciaran wasn't always home due to jobs he deemed too dangerous or unsuitable for me, so the mood in itself wasn't unusual. However, I couldn't help but think,_

"_It's been a while."_

_Then out of nowhere, he came home. I'd always loved the thunderstorms of spring and had been gazing out the bedroom window when the door slammed open. I nearly threw up._

_I can't even begin to describe the sight that stood in front of me._

_XXX_

_He'd only stayed the night before heading out again. He only stayed long enough to put this girl to bed and let me treat his wounds._

_He brought me outside as the sun rose. He covered my face with mud and ruffled my hair._

"_Don't wash." He told me._

"_I'll be back soon, make sure she has food." He told me._

_Once more, for strict specification, "Don't. Wash." He told me, before fleeing the field._

_I did as he wished and stayed filthy and smelly for the days he was gone. I fetched water from the river and would pour it into the girl's mouth. I watched as she slept, tears always streaming down her cheeks. I think it was that night that I knew I would always be loyal to Ciaran. For it was that night that I realised there was only one bed in the cabin._

_When he returned, he carried clean clothes and new blankets. He lay them some out on the dining room floor, telling me that this was my bed until she could stand._

"_Who is she?" I asked._

"_I don't know." He said._

"_Do you always do this?"_

"_Do what?"_

"_Pick up strays." He laughed at this, _

"_I don't pick up strays." He replied. "I pick up lost kittens."_

"_Is there a difference?" I asked, bemused._

"_Yes." He smiled, "There is always a difference."_

_XXX_

_She stayed with us for a while. She was… different, to say the least. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd lived with anyone other than Ciaran. It was a strange experience having a girl in the house._

_Soon enough she grew lively and ambitious. She started making these grand plans and I was never sure how to respond but Ciaran would smile and nod. Sometimes, he would disappear for a few weeks at a time. The girl would play with me. Some would say she was acting like my big sister but I don't think that's how she saw it. Some of her stories were really messed up. Her plans for the future disgruntled me but I never said anything._

_We lived far away from any town and rarely received travelling passerbys due to how far outs from the road our cabin was, so we weren't exactly up to date with what was happening. But soon we started getting visitors. _

**XXX**

**You thought you were going to get something climactic, didn't you?  
>You know, I did debate about when to post this chapter. Oh well, here it is!:)<strong>

**-Please review! It means a lot to me and only takes a few clicks. Thank you!**

**Hope you're all doing well – Cherry xxx**

**/kdfnadsnf I've just had this huge scare about all of my documents and I think I may have accidentally replaced a bunch with old files. I /think/ that at least my most important document right now is safe [an unpublished story I've been working on] however I'm not entirely sure about the Alice chapters I've yet to post so I'm giving you this one now :) ((Although it was meant to be posted before Christmas... Sorry!))**


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